Eggplant with Kalonji

Feb 3rd 2010

This recipe was a hit the day I tried it out. With K's never ending love affair with eggplant and my don't care much about you relationship with the vegetable, I am always looking for new recipes to try in the hope that I will come to love it. I succeeded with this one :)

This recipe is a little bit time consuming but no pain without gain remember, so roll your sleeves and let's get to work.

Time required: 45 min

Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

• Kalonji ( 1tsp)
• Japanese/Chinese Eggplant (2-3 nos)
• Tomatoes (4-5)
• Ginger Garlic paste (1 tsp)
• Cilantro
• Oil
• Chilly Powder
• salt

Method de Preparation:

1. Heat water in a vessel and when it begins to boil, immerse the tomatoes and allow to boil/cook well for about 8 -10 min or more. They will slightly crack and the skin will start to open out.
2. In the meantime, take a lot of oil (for frying) in a pan and heat. When the oil is heated well, fry the eggplant [chopped in the size of a french fry]. Allow for a min or so till cooked or slightly browning. Another indicator is the fizz sound settles down.
3. Drain the oil out from the eggplant with a tissue and keep aside.
4. Peel the tomatoes and chop into pieces.
5. Take a little bit of oil in a pan, add the kalonji seeds and then ginger garlic paste.
6. When raw smell goes, add the tomatoes and saute for a few min.
7. Add salt, turmeric and chilly powder.
8. Add the eggplant towards the end and garnish with cilantro.
9. Enjoy with rotis.

Chef's tip: Frying the eggplants till tender and boiling the tomatoes in the hot water are key to ensuring the excellent taste this recipe offers.

Source: Prema chithi with an eggplant loving chithappa