Baby eggplants stuffed with a delicious, tangy spice mix! Serve this really easy-to-cook dish with plain white rice and Lehsuni Daal (garlic-flavored yellow lentils).
Ingredients:
- 6 baby eggplants washed, stalk trimmed and partially slit into quarters
- 2 tsps coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 3 tbsps grated dessicated coconut
- 1 tsp very finely chopped garlic
- Small marble-sized lump of tamarind soaked in a small bowl of warm water
- 3/4 tsp black mustard seeds
- 6-8 curry leaves
- 2 dry red chillies
- Salt to taste
- 3-4 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
- Chppoed fresh coriander to garnish
Preparation:
- Put the coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chilli powders, coconut and chopped garlic in a bowl and mix.
- Squeeze the tamarind that has been soaked in the warm water so as to remove all the pulp from it and into the water. Strain and throw away the pith.
- Add this tamarind pulp to the spice mix a little at a time to get a thick paste. Add salt to taste and mix well.
- Fill the slits in the eggplants with this spice paste. Keep aside.
- Heat the oil in a pan (on a medium flame) till hot. Now add the mustard seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves and cook till spluttering stops. Now add the eggplants and gently stir.
- Cook till the eggplants are done. Stir occasionally but do it gently so as to avoid knocking the filling out of the eggplants.
- Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve with plain white rice and Lehsuni Daal (garlic-flavored yellow lentils).
