Smoky Sour Spicy Eggplants

A community recipe by rachinlove

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

This is a Indian recipe of egg plants. Actually this is my version of spicy saucy egg plants. Egg plants are cooked over open fire to get that smoky flavour. Tomatoes and tamarind paste gives it a sour and saucy taste. This recipe should be served with steamed rice or rotis (roti-Indian bread made out of whole wheat flour and cooked on open fire)

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

8 aubergines
4 medium tomatoes
6 green chillies
½ tablespoon tamarind paste
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1½ teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ginger and garlic paste
cumin seeds (grind with the ginger-garlic paste)
2 tablespoons mustard oil (use mustard oil only as it gives the recipe a tinge)
salt (to taste)

Method

Smoky Sour Spicy Eggplants is a community recipe submitted by rachinlove and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

First of all, wash egg plants and just slit them lengthwise without cutting them whole.

Keep egg plants over open fire (gas stove) and cook them (or rather smoke them) in order to get a smoky flavour. Keep them on fire till they achieve black colour in some places. Upon cooking them on open fire they will become tender.

Take green chillies, slit them lengthwise and smoke them too just as we smoked the egg plants. Then chop the smoked green chillies and keep aside.

Chop tomatoes finely. Mix red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and ginger garlic paste.

Heat mustard oil in a wok (when using mustard oil for cooking, always heat it till it smokes otherwise it will taste bitter). Then put the tomatoes mixed with all spices and cook. Also add chopped smoked green chillies and cook.

Now add the tamarind pulp/paste to it and cook till the oil surfaces over. Neatly add smoked egg plants and lightly mix them into the spices.

As the egg plants are already smoked and half cooked they should be handled lightly in order to prevent them from breaking. Cook for 10 minutes on low fire. Serve hot with steamed rice or rotis.