Step 1

Turn your grill on.

Step 2

Clean eggplant, then use a knife to poke holes throughout.

Step 3

Rub eggplants with oil, then let roast until they are nicely cooked throughly. You should see a nice char develop. Take off the grill and let cool.

Step 4

Then peel the skin off and remove the stem.

Step 5

Chop the roasted eggplant and set aside.

Step 6

Heat oil in a large pot, and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds (optional).

Step 7

Then add finely chopped onion cook.

Step 8

Once onion has softened, add ginger, then garlic. Salt to taste.

Step 9

Add tomatoes and cook until they are soft (8-10 minutes)

Step 10

Add remaining spices: red chili pepper powder, turmeric power, coriander powder, and garam masala).

Step 11

Cook together for 2-3 minutes.

Step 12

Add roasted eggplant (baingan) to the pan and stir.

Step 13

Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Step 14

Garnish dish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves.

Step 15

Note: Original recipe calls for asafoetida (also known as hing) but we didn't have it when we made this dish.

Step 16

I read online that a substitute for this spice, which is common in South Indian vegetarian dishes, is a combination of onion and garlic.

Step 17

Since this dish has both, we opted to skip out on the asafoetida (hing).