I am quite partial to Indian food. I have fond memories of memories of the British curry houses. Though the recipes I find on the internet are not similar to the take aways I am used to, there are some very interesting and tasty meals out there, the latest being Aloo Baingan (taken from Manjula’s Kitchen (.com).

Ingredients:

1 medium purple eggplant (baingan), un-peeled, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 medium russet potatoes (aloo), peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
4 medium tomatoes (tamatar) cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
1 tablespoon oil
Pinch of asafetida (hing) – in its absence I used 1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 chopped green chili adjust to taste
1 teaspoon ginger paste (adrek)
1 tablespoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (dagi mirch)
1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
2 tablespoons water

Also needed:

Oil to fry

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.
Frying pan should have at least 1 1/2 inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one piece of potato in the oil. The potato should sizzle right away. If vegetables are fried in low heat they will be very oily.
Fry the potatoes till they are cooked through, turn the potatoes few times while frying. Take out potatoes with a slotted spoon (this allows excess oil to drip back into the frying pan) and place on a paper towel.Test the oil again with a piece of eggplant. Fry the eggplant pieces same way.
In a small bowl, mix the shredded ginger, green pepper, coriander powder, paprika, turmeric, and 2 tablespoons of water to make a paste.
Heat the 1-tablespoon of oil in a pan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
Add cumin seeds and asafetida after seeds crack add the spice mixture and stir-fry for a minute until you see the oil start to separate from the spice mixture.
Add chopped tomatoes stir-fry for a minute.
Add fried potatoes and eggplant mix it gently, let it simmer for three to four minute on medium low heat.
Subji should be not very dry if needed add three to four spoons of water.
Turn off the heat and add chopped cilantro mix it well.

I have just eaten this dish, and the taste of green chili is still causing me to sweat. And this with only half a chili instead of one. It is still a wonderful, fresh recipe, and one that will be added to the list of favourites (minus chili).