Thai Eggplant with Goda Masala

When I was a kid, my mom would shoo me away if I wandered around the kitchen, saying, ‘পড়াশুনা করো গিয়ে, রান্না বান্না করার জন্যে সারা জীবন পড়ে আছে ' (Go and study. You have your whole life to cook) Maybe she feared that I would lose out in the rat race if I got distracted by other things.

 The kitchen has been always a magical place for me where simple ingredients turn into delicious dishes with a pinch of this and a dash of that. Needless to say, my mom is one of my greatest champions now even when it comes to my cooking. I try to respect her conventional palate but sometimes I nudge her to try new things. Recently, I have seen her being more adventurous with food and enjoying different flavors that could appear outlandish to her. In the picture is Thai eggplant cooked with goda masala, coconut flakes, jaggery and peanut paste. Added sliced onions and green peas to add complexity. You can add tamarind too.

Method:

1. Cut the eggplant (preferably small sized one for aesthetics) into bite sized pieces
2. Fry sliced onion in cooking oil until uniformly browned. Add the eggplant pieces and sauté for a while. 
3. Add goda masala
   Ingredients link
4.  When the eggplants are almost done, add jaggery powder, coconut flakes , and peanut passte. You may alos add tamaring if you want it to be tangy.

Enjoy with roti (Indian flatbread) or as a side to a bigger meal with rice.

Making salted hilsa/nona ilish with potatoes and eggplant

Eggplant in tahini sauce

Eggplant in tahini sauce

I used small Indian eggplant for this recipe.

1. Wash and wipe the eggplant, remove green stem and cut into uniform sized wedges. Rub salt and turmeric. Light fry in a wok with olive oil  and a pinch of nigella seeds (prefer mild tasting oil for this recipe).
   
   
   
2. Add fresh or frozen green peas, slit green chilies and amchur (dry mango powder).



3. Whisk homemade or store-bought tahini (sesame paste) in a bowl/glass with water , add into the wok. Cover and cook in low flame because the eggplant can get mushy. Sprinkle water once or twice if you feel the sauce is drying. Add sugar and dry red chili powder to taste.

Eggplant in garlic sauce

1. Clean and cut Chinese eggplant into serving size (Halved along the length first, then cut into half moon or strips). 
2. Heat oil in a wok, stir fry the eggplant with minced garlic, salt and chili flakes (or minced dry red chilis) until soft but not mushy.
3. Add low-sodium soy sauce and oyster sauce in a cup with water. Mix well and pour on the wok evenly and simmer to reduce the sauce.
4. You may add 1 tsp sugar. The Chinese variation I had in a restaurant was a little sweet and they added wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots and bell pepper to the braised eggplant.

You may also add a bit of chili oil for flavor.

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Bonus recipe: Eggplant sauteed with mini heirloom tomatoes, green peas, cilantro stem and fennel bulb with salt, turmeric (optional) and Thai chili.

Eggplant with tomatoes, Italian breadcrumbs, and Parmesan

.. Inspired by Parmigiana Di Melanzane. (Eggplant Parmesan)

Eggplants, sliced, 1 medium

Tomatoes, diced 1 medium

Italian bread crumbs

Olive oil for baking

Salt to taste

Grated cheese (Parmesan preferred)

1. Wash and wipe eggplants, trim both ends and cut them into fans or slices. Try to make them evenly thick for uniform cooking. 
2. Dice tomatoes and stuff them into the eggplant. (Remove seeds if you want. I do)
3. Add salt, Italian bread crumbs. Bake for 10 mins at 350 F or microwave for 3 mins (Essential, to reduce oil intake later). 
4. Then, pan-fry at very low heat until brown. Sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan.
5. Serve warm. You can also use it to stuff wraps.

You may use other soft vegetables like zucchini and string beans to make a similar dish.

Doi begun posto (Eggplant in poppy yogurt paste)

This dish looks best with baby eggplant, slit on four sides and stem intact (pictures below). I had an overstock of Chinese eggplant and decided to work with those.

Method:

1. Clean the eggplant and cut into strips (slit the eggplant with stem intact if you are using baby/Indian eggplant). Fill salt, coriander powder, and Kashmiri chili powder inside the eggplant. Deep fry in a wok. Take out and drain on a paper towel if you feel the need. 
2.  In a non-stick, use 2 tsp oil from the frying and fry nigella seeds and slit green chilies. Keep the chilies aside.
3. Add dry ground poppy and cashews. Toast a bit. Add about a cup of warm water. Cook through.
4. Whisk 1 tbsp yogurt with a little water so that no lumps remain, cook it in the wok, add the fried eggplant. Add a bit of ghee, taste for salt.

You can bake the recipe in an oven too (after you have sauteed the eggplant first).

Version 2: I made them with baby eggplants, and they look pretty. Also, I used Methi (fenugreek) seeds for tempering and ground cumin with the yogurt sauce, as suggested by my aunt.

Don't forget to fry the baby bottoms if you are shallow frying them

A tastier version with more gravy and deep-fried eggplants (Updated on: Jan 3, 2017)