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.
• Preheat the airfryer or the broil mode in the oven to 400 degrees. Coat the eggplants with a little oil. For airfyer, add the eggplants to the airfyer basket and fry for about 15 minutes or until brown. For oven, it will take about 25-30 minutes to brown the eggplants on broil mode. 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.
• Add the remaining spices – fennel powder, ginger powder, coriander powder and salt and cook for a few minutes.
• 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 chilies if you prefer it spicy.