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One of my major goals in 2010 was to finally learn how to cook Indian food recreating the recipes from my favorite Indian restaurant in Chicago, Udupi Palace.

I knew I wanted to cook authentic Indian food but I also love simple, flavorful food that is healthy.  Indian food <em>can</em> contain a lot of cream, ghee or clarified butter, and oil so the calories add up fast.  Can Indian food be healthy?  Yes it can!  Indian chefs can do things with veggies that you wouldn’t believe and the cuisine is nutrient rich – perfect for all you skinny bitches out there.

I will recreate my favorite recipes while learning some new ones so you can enjoy Indian food without the guilt.

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<strong></strong>Baingan Bharta, or roasted and mashed eggplant is one of my favorite Indian meals.  It’s low in calories, super-filling, and so very summery.  Eggplant is cheap and plentiful right now and this is the perfect recipe for you to try.

For the recipe, look below the fold!

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<strong>Your will need the following ingredients:</strong>

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2 Eggplants.  They should be purple, fat, and be firm to the touch with only a light give.  Bruising and spotting are not ideal.  Mine looked particularly sexy.

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2 cans diced tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes.

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2 green Thai chilies (I like the heat but you can leave it out to make the dish less spicy.  Also, wash your hands after handling.  Ask me how I know).

1/4 to 1/2 piece of ginger.  I prefer starting adding ginger a small piece at a time.  Fresh ginger is preferable to powdered ginger.  If you hate cutting it, buy the paste at Whole Foods.

A large handful of cilantro.

(Ignore the pictured onion – I snuck it in to balance the shot).

1 tbsp. of oil plus oil spray.

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A pinch of asafetida or hing.

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2 tsp. of cumin seed.

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2 tsp. of coriander.

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1 tsp. of turmeric.

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1 tsp. of red chili.

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Salt to taste.

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1/2 tsp of garam masala.

Secret Ingredient:  A packet of sugar.

<strong>Indian Princess Method</strong>

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1)  Prepare the eggplant.  You can wrap it in glad and place it in the microwave.  I prefer preparing it in the oven because the flavor is out of this world when it is slow roasted in the oven.  So pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with foil.  Spray with cooking spray.

Cut the ends of your eggplant and cut it in half.  Score your eggplant gently on top with three quick strokes – scoring doesn’t mean driving the knife in, just cracking the skin.

3)  Place on foil and spray skin with cooking spray.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Set a timer for 15 minute increments and turn the tray.  This might not be necessary if your oven is less finicky.

4)  When the eggplant is done, let cool while preparing the sauce.  It should have acquired a lovely reddish brown color.  After it is cool, remove the eggplant from the skin and break apart with a fork.  Set aside.

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5)  To prepare the sauce, cut your ginger into fine strips and dice the tomatoes and chilies – blend everything.  If you have no machine for blending prep, you can just cut everything finely and blend with your hands or a masher.  I like to blend only half the tomatoes because I like a little texture to the dish.  Set this aside.

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6)  Heat oil in a pan.  I suggest avoiding fragrant oils like olive because it isn’t complimentary to Indian cooking – use plain oils like canola, safflower or peanut if you prefer.

Next, drop in a cumin seed and if it floats to the top surrounding my bubbles, the oil is ready.  Add two pinches of asafetida (hing) and the cumin seed and lightly sauté.

<em>Hing is a necessary spice and is available from many places including Amazon or from my favorite spice shop, </em><a href="http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/asafoetida-powder"><em>Spice World.</em></a><em> If you don’t have any, leave it out.  Several recipes will suggest using onion and garlic in its place but some will argue that it is not authentic, which is partially true.  Onion is not a commonly used ingredient in many Indian recipes and onion and garlic are pungent overpowering flavors.  I care more about flavor and those ingredients can strike a completely different note not suitable for Indian cooking. </em>

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7)  In a few minutes, you will hear popping sounds indicating the cumin is heated through.  Add the tomato, ginger and chillies mixture.  Heat for a minute and add your coriander powder, turmeric, and red chili powder.   Salt to taste.

<em>If you want to reduce the heat, leave out the red chili powder.</em>

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8)  Add eggplant and garam masala, gently stirring and breaking up any long pieces.  Add my secret ingredient:  a tsp. or two of plain white sugar.  I’ve tested this in several recipes and it is a great way to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.  Please do not use artificial sweeteners or honey or agave – again, those ingredients have flavors that will overpower and in the case of Splenda, ruin the dish.  Cook for 7-10 minutes.

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9)  Heat your naan and serve your eggplant with cilantro sprinkled on top.

I used eggplants that were about 500 grams each and a one cup serving of this recipe came out to 120 calories making it a perfect weeknight dinner.    The Boy took a big bite of his naan before I could snap another picture!

Quick tip from my mom:  If your pre-packaged naan ever goes stale, just bring a pot of water to boil and place a cookie rack on top of it.  Place the naan on the cookie rack and steam the naan back to life!

If you are having trouble finding these spices, I suggest looking on Amazon or at <a href="http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices-by-cuisine/indian-spices-and-seasonings">Spice World</a>, the most amazing spice shop ever.

Happy Cooking!