Indian Eggplant And Onion Dip With Pita Chips Recipes

SMOKY EGGPLANT DIP WITH PITA CHIPS

Steps:

• Heat the grill. Meanwhile, in a blender combine 3/4 cup olive oil, the oregano, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until you have a rough purée, 2 to 5 minutes depending on how strong your blender is. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Purée should be well seasoned.
• Split pita breads in half along their seams to make 6 flat rounds. Brush both sides of each pita round with herb purée.
• When grill is hot, cook the eggplant, whole, until skins are shriveled and flesh has collapsed, about 8 to 12 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
• Grill pitas until crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Let rest for a minute or two until cool enough to handle but still very warm, then slice each round into 6 wedges.
• Peel eggplant and put flesh in a food processor with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Purée, then taste and add more lemon or salt (or both) if needed. Serve the dip spread on a plate, drizzled with more olive oil and garnished with mint, dates and pomegranate seeds if desired.

WARM INDIAN EGGPLANT DIP (BAIGAN KA BHARTA)

Steps:

• Roast the eggplant in a 400°F oven for 45 minutes or until soft.
• While the eggplant is roasting, saute the mustard seeds, bay leaves, chilies, ginger and onions in 1 tbsp of olive oil, for a 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, turmeric, garam masala and chili powder.
• Saute for 5 more minutes.
• Cool and scoop the eggplant from the peel.
• Mash or blend until smooth.
• Add the eggplant and remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Allow to cook for at least 10 more minutes.
• Serve warm with toasted pita or naan.

INDIAN EGGPLANT AND ONION DIP WITH PITA CHIPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange pita wedges in single layer on rimmed baking sheet; brush lightly with 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
• Place eggplant, skin side down, on half of another rimmed baking sheet. Place onions and garlic on other half of sheet. Brush eggplant with 2 Tablespoons oil, drizzle onions and garlic with 1 Tablespoon oil. Toss vegetables; spread in single layer.
• Bake pita until crisp, about 4 minutes. Roast vegetables until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Peel garlic. Scoop out pulp from eggplant and transfer to processor. Add onions and peeled garlic.
• Puree until almost smooth. Transfer puree to bowl; mix in mint, cilantro and garam masala. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with pita chips.

SPICY WHOLE WHEAT PITA CHIPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine cumin, paprika, salt, and ground red pepper.
• Cut each pita half into 4 wedges. Arrange pita wedges on a baking sheet. Lightly coat pita with cooking spray. Sprinkle cumin mixture evenly over pita.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until crisp.