Eggplant curry in spicy coriander sauce

I love some vegetables mainly because of the ease of chopping and cooking them. One such vegetable is 'eggplant'. I went vegetable shopping this weekend to a new 'produce junction'. They give 3 bunches of cilantro for a dollar and no, you can't buy just 1 bunch for less money. That abundance of cilantro in my refrigerator inspired me to make this. I am glad I tried it because it was taken very well. I used a small variation of my pulav masala for this.

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Ingredients:
Purple big fat eggplants - 2 diced into cubes
Red onion - 1 big chopped
Oil - 3 TBSP
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - a big pinch
Salt - to taste
Amchoor / dry mango powder - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp
Sugar or Brown Sugar or Jaggery - 2 TBSP

To grind to a paste:
Cilantro / Coriander - 1/2 - 3/4 cup packed (You can include the stalks too)
Tomato - 1 small quartered (or you could use tomato paste about 2 TBSP)
Garlic - 2 pods
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Pepper corns - about 1 tsp whole
Cloves - 1/2 tsp whole
Cinnamon - 1" stick
Green Chillies - 12 - 15 or as per taste

Method:
In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add onions. Sprinkle some salt and turmeric. Let them wilt for about 5 minutes. When the onions are cooked, add eggplant cubes. Saute for a minute or two. Pour enough water to barely cover the entire veggie mixture and cover with a lid and let them cook.

In a blender/mixie or a food processor, take all the ingredients mentioned for grinding above. Make a puree without adding any additional water. Juice in tomato is enough to move the blades. When eggplants are almost cooked, add the ground paste, sugar, amchoor powder. Adjust the salt and add if necessary. Let them come to a boil and turn off the heat when the eggplant is cooked through. This tastes delicious with rotis/chapathis and rice too.

Notes:
You could add a couple of diced potatoes to get a thick curry. Starch in potato or yam or sweet potato would make the curry come together better.

Enjoy!! Pin It