Vazhuthananga / Baby Brinjals Pulingari

This is a spicy, tangy dish which serves as a good gravy for rice.

Ingredients

• Baby brinjals/eggplant - 4 to 5
• Coconut - 4 tbsp
• Tomato - 1
• Coriander powder - 11/2 tbsp
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp or to taste
• Tamarind - a small lemon sized ball
• Garlic - 1 large clove
• Fenugreek seeds - some (8 - 10 seeds)
• Curry leaves
• Oil
• Salt and turmeric

Directions

• Cut the stems and slice the brinjals leaving the top part in tact. The ones I had were a little bigger than usual, so I sliced them completely into 4 separate pieces.
• Fry them in a tsp of oil with some salt and turmeric until they are soft
• Soak the tamarind in warm water.
• Crush/chop the garlic into small pieces. Also, chop the tomato into small pieces.
• Grind the coconut along with coriander and chilly powder into a smooth paste.
• In a separate pan, heat some oil and add the garlic followed by the fenugreek seeds. When the garlic starts to brown, add the fried brinjal and the coconut paste and some salt. When the mixture starts to boil, add the tomatoes and cook for 5 mins or so. Then add the tamarind juice and stir well. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and cover and cook for some more time.
• When the gravy gets a good consistency, add the curry leaves and remove from heat.