How to cook small eggplant curry (bagaare baigan)

In a pan dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds, coconut powder on medium flame. Once peanuts cool take off the skin and keep aside

In a thick bottom pan hear oil and add cumin, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf , onion and green chillies and fry till it turn brown.

Till this is cooking add roasted sesame seeds,coconut powder and peanuts and make a powdered mix now add water and blend it again for a minute

The paste should look like this. Onions must have been brown by now

Add this paste to the pan and stir it. Once it starts oozing oil and starts turning brown. Add all the dry spices and cook for 2-3 mins.

Keep stiring so that it doesn't stick to the bottom and keep the flame low once it looks like this add tamarind paste & water and get it to a boil

While its boiling slit the eggplant into four slices and keep the stems on and put them in salt water for a minute if they have a bitter taste it gets washed coz of salt

Shallow fry them with some oil in a pan and salt them a little 2 mins on each side on medium flame with a lid covered should cook them enough

They look like this when done :)

Add them to the boiling curry and let them simmer for 5-10 mins. The eggplants suck up all the delicious flavors of spices and tamarind and get so soft that they melt in your mouth.

Serve it with some rice and enjoy the meal :)