Ingredients
Small Eggplant- 6
Coriander leaves- to garnish
To grind
Onion- 1 large diced
Tomato- 2 large diced
Coconut- 1 cup
Sambar powder- 2 tbsp
Poppy seeds- 1 tsp (Soak the poppy seeds in warm water for 10 minutes before grinding)
Cinnamon- 2"
Cloves- 3
Star anise- 2
Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp
Tamarind paste- 1 tsp
Salt- as needed
Grind everything together into a thick paste with 1/2 cup of water.
For tempering
Oil- 2tbsp
Bay leaves- 1
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Curry leaves- few
Method
- Cut the eggplants into four, leaving the bottom intact.
- Stuff some of the ground mixture into the eggplants and set aside the remaining paste.
- In a pan, heat oil and do the tempering.
- Add the stuffed eggplants and saute for few minutes until the outer skin of the veggie turns soft.
- Pour the remaining ground mixture and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 7-8 minutes in medium flame.
- Mix the gravy carefully once during cooking. The eggplants breaks easily and the gravy may also splutter a lot.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.