Indian

eggplant masala

Because I am so excited about one of the easiest and quickest eggplant dishes I have ever made, I just had to stop by and share the recipe 🙂 About fifteen minutes of prep, another twelve minutes to cook and all done! And tastes so good – a perfect balance of tangy, sweet and spicy with a slight crunch of the sesame seeds!

I had mentioned earlier about how I find baby eggplants absolutely irresistible and how I always pick up some at the store. So I had a fresh stock at home but was feeling a bit lazy about grinding the masala etc and at the same time, did not want to waste their cuteness by simply chopping them up. Don’t remember if I saw something like this earlier, but the thought of making little criss-cross cuts in them and then filling them up with a masala powder came to mind.

Stuffing them this way is quite simple if you just press the eggplant gently on its long side first and fill in the opened cuts and then press across the short side and repeat. The process is fairly quick too. The proportions here are for a good balance of tangy to sweet but you can vary it based on your preference. Just try to use jaggery or coconut/palm sugar to get that full-bodied flavor.

Makes a quick and easy weeknight meal, yet elegant enough to feel right at home at a party, sprinkled with some fresh cilantro and served on a platter.

Eggplant Masala

Printable Recipe

8 baby eggplants, medium size

Masala:

3 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
3/4 tsp amchur (mango powder)
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder
3 tsp jaggery powder
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp canola, peanut or vegetable oil
salt to taste (I used 1 1/2 tsp Hain sea salt)
fresh cilantro for garnish

Wash the eggplant and pat dry. Cut them in half lengthwise and then cut the inside in a criss-cross pattern – about 1/4 inch wide. Cut them almost to the edge and deep enough to get almost to the bottom.

Mix all the powders and sprinkle it inside the cuts.

Heat the oil on medium heat in a wide skillet. Swirl the pan so that the oil is coating the entire bottom.

Arrange the eggplant halves, skin side facing down in a single layer. Reduce flame to medium low and cook covered for about 8 minutes.

Pick up each half gently by its stem and flip it over. Reduce flame to low and cook covered for another 5 minutes.

Pierce the eggplant halves with the tip of a knife to make sure it is cooked through. The amount of time also depends on the quality of the eggplants. The tender ones obviously cook much faster.

Serve garnished with some fresh cilantro, chopped fine.

Yum