Eggplants are in season

This is an eggplant dish originating from a culture called Mogul. The Mogul were a group of people invading from 16th-18th century Persia to the north of India. They brought with them peace, affluence and different tastes, blending their cooking with the local cuisine. The recipe featured here is traditionally slow cooked over the fire, but I am cooking it slowly in my gas oven for 2 hours.

Eggplant Mogul

Ingredients

1 tsp cumin seeds crushed

6 whole cloves crushed

1 tablespoon of fresh minced ginger

2 small eggplants or I large sliced vertically and cut into quarters

2 tsp Garam masala

1tsp turmeric ground

1 tablespoon paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

400gm tinned or bottled tomatoes

2 cups of plain yoghurt

salt to taste

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves

chile to garnish

Method

Preheat oven 150 degrees Celsius

Mix all the spices together with the tomatoes or tomato purée into a paste, then spread over eggplant that has been quartered and placed in an oven proof dish with a lid.

Use a mortar and pestle

Crushing the cloves

Mixing the spices

Smells divine

Spread the paste over the peeled and quartered eggplant

Add 1/2 cup water and place in the oven for 2 hours, check every so often, the house will smell lovely, stir in salt and plain yoghurt, serve with basmati rice and fresh coriander and Chile on top❤️