Air Fryer Baingan Raita – Kashmiri Eggplant Dip

Typically known as Bu’az Wangun in Kashmiri, this Air Fryer Baingan Raita – Kashmiri Eggplant Dip is such a delicious and healthy side dish or snack for weekend entertaining! Its soft, meaty texture interspersed with some eggplant bits will truly surprise you.

This is a traditional Kashmiri side dish. It can be used as an accompaniment to rice, bread or tortillas (roti). It can also be used as a dip with almost anything.

This recipe is perfect, you don’t have to wait for a whole eggplant to roast in the oven, a gas flame or on the grill. Traditionally, in this recipe the eggplant is roasted on a flame. However, here we have used the air fryer.

Ingredients needed to make Air Fryer Baingan Raita – Kashmiri Eggplant Dip:

Plain yogurt (either non fat or whole), globe eggplant, serrano peppers, salt, fresh cilantro leaves, and “Kashmiri jeera” also known as “Shahi jeera”. Shahi jeera is typically available in Indian grocery stores. If you don’t find it easily you can use carraway seeds instead.

Eggplant: We will use the American or globe eggplant for this recipe. Globe eggplants are what you’re most likely find in grocery stores. They’re dark, wide and have a tough skin, meatier texture than other varieties.

How do we make Air Fryer Baingan Raita – Kashmiri Eggplant Dip?

When you are ready to cook, grease your  Air Fryer  basket with 1 tbsp oil. I grease mine by rubbing, brushing, or spraying, a little bit of oil on the bottom grate. Then, follow your air fryer directions for preheating at 350°F for 5 minutes.

When your air fryer is preheating, rinse the globe eggplant well and pat it dry with a towel. Rub oil on each side, front and back. Then use a fork or knife to stab holes or slits into the peel. I typically make 4-inch-long multiple slits on each side.

Additionally, chop the serrano peppers and cilantro leaves finely and set them aside.

Once the air fryer is heated, place the eggplant in the air fryer, set it for 400 degrees F, and 20 minutes. And guess what! You don’t need to worry about flipping the eggplant through this process.

Once the time is up, remove the eggplant. It will have a wrinkly skin.

Let the the eggplant cool. Once it’s cool enough to handle, peel the skin off. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. If the seeds are soft and barely visible there’s no need to remove them. However, if the seeds are brown, scoop them out with a spoon.

Then using a potato masher mash the eggplant really well. It needs to be mushy.

Further, mix the eggplant well in the yogurt. Furthermore, add in serrano peppers, cilantro, salt and Shahi zeera. Mix well.

Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tried this recipe yet? Give us a rating, comment below in the reply section and let us know what you think.

Try some of our other recipes:

Air Fryer Chicken Tikka – Chicken Banjara Tikka

Malai Chicken Tikka

Air Fryer Bhindi Okra