Spicy Baby Brinjal/ Eggplant curry/ Ennai Kathirikai!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

Onion (large) – 1

Tomato (large) – 1

Garlic – 6 cloves (cut it into half)

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red chili powder – 1 tsp (optional, add to your taste)

Tamarind – small ball size (soak into water)

Salt to taste

Dry roast & grind into paste:

Ground nuts – 1 tbsp

Coconut (fresh) – 2 tbsp (chopped)

Jeera/ cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek/ methi seeds – 1 tsp

Fennel seeds – 1 tsp

Channa dal/bengal gram dal/chick pea – 1 tbsp

Pepper corns (optional) – ½ tsp

Whole dry red chili – 2 nos

Whole coriander seeds – 2 tbsp

Marinate & frying :

Oil – 2 tbsp

Baby eggplant/brinjal – 10 (cut it into plus shape)

Red chili powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

Tempering:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds/jeera – 1 tsp

Fennel seeds – ½ tsp

Whole dry red chili – 2 nos

curry leaves – 1 strand

Method:

First wash the brinjal/eggplant, trim its stem and cut it plus shape to the bottom (don’t remove the stem fully).
Now mix all the marinating ingredients in a dry bowl and stuff into brinjal & keep aside for 10 minutes.
Dry roast all the ingredients, grind it with soaked tamarind & make it into paste.
Keep the pan on low heat, add oil and pan fry the brinjal. After frying removes the excess oil using paper towel.
In the same pan, add mustard seeds after it gets spluttering, add cumin, fennel seeds, red chili and curry leaves sauté it for a minute.
Now add garlic, after it gets golden brown, then add finely chopped onion and sauté until it turns to pink color & tender.
After that add red chili and turmeric powder, sauté it for 2 minutes till the raw flavor goes off.
Now add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until woes out its moisture (looks like mushy).
Now add the fried brinjal/ eggplant, grounded paste and add generous amount of water.
Cover it with lid & cook it for 15 minutes on medium flame, once the oil float on the top switch of the flame.
Garnish it with cilantro.
Serve it hot and enjoy it with steamed rice & pappad.

Hint:

Brinjal/ eggplant curry goes well with dosa, idly, paratha & chappathi (Indian bread).
Ginegelly oil makes the dish more tasty then any other oil.
Also garnish with fried cashew nuts (enrich its taste).