This is a classic vegetarian Indian dish for all those eggplant lovers out there.
4 large Eggplants
Vegetable Oil
50 ml Ghee or Vegetable Oil
5 g Cumin Seeds
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 Kashmiri Dried Chilies, halved (or other mild dried chilies)
3 Green Chilies, minced (or as many as you can handle - I used one)
10 g Garltic Paste
10 g Ginger Paste
5 g Turmeric Powder
4 small Tomatoes, chopped
60 g Plain Yogurt
50 g Frozen Peas (or more if you like)
Salt, to taste
1/2 bunch Cilantro, washed and chopped
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1) Poke some holes into the eggplants, coat them in oil, and roast at 375F until wrinkled and very soft, about 1 hour.
2) Remove the skin from the eggplant and chop roughly. (It's best to do this while they are still warm, but not burning hot. Cut the top off the eggplant, then cut in half. Set the eggplant on flat surface, skin down, then use the back of a knife to gently scrape the flesh from the skin. Discard the skins.)
While waiting for the eggplants to cool, start the sauce:
3) Heat the ghee or vegetable oil in a large pot. Add cumin seeds and toast until they just start to crackle.
4) Add the onions and Kashmiri chilies, and cook until the onions are lightly golden brown. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
5) Add the green chilies, garlic, and ginger. Cook briefly (approx 15 seconds).
6) Add the turmeric powder and cook briefly to get rid of the chalky texture (approx 15 seconds).
7) Add the tomatoes and cook until softened (approx 5 minutes).
8) Add the yogurt, frozen peas, and eggplant flesh. Cook for 5 minutes to incorporate flavors.
9) Add salt to taste.
10) Finish with cilantro and lemon juice.