Baigan Aloo Masala (Eggplant – Potato)

Picked this recipe from a Paki friend. Though the recipe may seem very similar to how it is made in typical Indian household, but small little changes of ingredients, and what goes when, does make this recipe quite different and delectable! 

Original idea was to make only eggplant veggie with butter Naan (fluffy Indian bread). Since this recipe calls for generous amount of oil, I used extra light olive oil. And yeah, Mediterranean started playing on my mind (somehow olive oil, eggplant, garlic, all make me want to eat Lebanese food!) and soon I was on my way making some chicken meatballs! And trust me, the combo was just so awesome!!! 

But go ahead and use regular cooking oil and have it with Paratha, if you want to keep it simple and have a good home made meal!

You need:

Eggplant – 300 grams (keep skin-on for half of the eggplants and peel the other half and cut all into small chunks)

Tomatoes – 1.5 large (roughly chopped)

Onion – 1 Large (thinly sliced)

Potatoes – 2 nos (peeled and cut into cubes)

Garlic – 6-7 large cloves (thinly slice them, DO NOT fine chop or grind )

Red chili powder- ½ tsp

Salt – 1 tsp (adjust to taste)

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin power – ½ tsp

Oil – 4-5 Tbsp (reduce if you are watching your weight but it does differ the taste. For special dinners, I get generous, but for regular cooking, I tend to be shy with oil.)
Chopped coriander leaves/ cilantro for garnish
Sliced green chilies - 2 nos

1. Add sliced onions to the oil in a pan. 
2. When it gets golden brown, add tomatoes, garlic,  red chili powder, salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and cumin seeds. (yes, the cumin seeds go in now, and NOT before the onions, if you are wondering. :)). Mix well and fry for a 1-2 min.
3. Add eggplants, 4-5 tbsp of water. Mix, cover and cook till it all gets mushy, gooey and cooked. Pieces should not be seen at this stage.
4. Once all the water in the pan is dried up, only then add the potatoes. (make sure you follow this this because if you don't dry the water out completely, curry will turn out bitter).
5. Cover and cook on medium low heat, till the potatoes are almost done. Add very little water if it sticks to the bottom. 
6. Add chopped coriander leaves/ cilantro and sliced green chilies. Cover and cook till potatoes are cooked soft.
7. Serve hot with bread of your choice. I like it with naan!