Eggplants in a Tomato Curry/ Tamatar Wangun

Tamatar Wangun is a Kashmiri vegetarian dish made with Eggplants and Tomatoes. Growing up, this was one of my mom’s recipes that made my mouth water even at a mere mention of it being on the menu for dinner. The tangy flavorful tomato sauce transforms the eggplant into an even better version of itself. Eggplants are said to be native to India, cultivated there for thousands of years and there is so much that can be done with them in Indian recipes. In that part of the world , eggplants are called “brinjal” and in parts of Europe they are called “aubergine”. A fun fact, when eggplants were introduced to Europe, they were believed to be poisonous !

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups chopped eggplants
• 2-3 Tomatoes pureed
• 3 Green chillies
• 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 tsp fennel powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• A pinch of Asafetida (hing) – look for the gluten free version
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1/4 tsp cardamom seeds
• Oil
• Salt

RECIPE

You can use wither the Indian baby eggplants or the long thin Japanese eggplants for this recipe. Chop the eggplant into sticks of about 3 inches. Traditionally these eggplants are deep fried but I prefer to air fry or broil them in an oven to make this recipe healthier.

Preheat the airfryer or the broil mode in the oven to 400 degrees. Coat the eggplants with a little oil. If you are using the airfyer, add the eggplants to the airfyer basket and fry for about 15 minutes or until brown. If you are using the oven, it will take about 20-30 minutes to brown the eggplants. For both methods, turn the eggplants midway so both sides get cooked evenly

While the eggplants are being cooked, add a tsp of oil to a pan. When the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, asefetida, cloves and cardamom seeds till they brown and release an aroma. Add the chilli powder in the hot oil to release the deep red color and then quickly add the tomato puree. The chilli powder can get burnt easily if a liquid is not added quickly to the oil. Stir around till the tomatoes and then add the remaining spices – fennel powder, ginger powder, coriander powder and salt.

Mix everything up and add in the broiled/air fried eggplant pieces. Cover the pan and let the eggplants steam for 10 minutes on a low flame till they are tender. Remove the lid and let the gravy thicken a little. Add some garam masala on top and a few green chillies if you like it spicy.

This dish is best served with a side of rice or cauli rice. The latter will make your meal whole30 compliant.