Masaledar bharwan baingan/ Spicy Stuffed Eggplants

Eggplants in my home is always about hubs.The little one and I like it too but with hubs its like nothing I can explain in a few words. Guess the only way he wouldn't eat them is raw. To go on a little more, he loves all different kinds of them, the italian, chinese, indian, purple, green, white and most likely any other kinds that he and I haven't even seen yet. His most favorite kind however are these baby eggplants just the way I make them *smirk*. You do have to give him some credit though, the eggplant is no doubt a very versatile vegetable. Fry them, saute them, bake them or even mash them and they always come out a winner.
I make them many different ways and this way is one of the most frequent as this one is my favorite eggplant preparation too. The eggplants are thoroughly soaked in spices and yet retain their beautiful petite shape making them very presentable for when you are entertaining. The kick of the spices and tang from the lemon juice and amchur along with the creamy texture of the nicely cooked eggplant make them ideally suited to be eated either with parathas or with rice and some daa. And yes, remember to leave the stems on to make them extra fun to eat.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

Baby violet eggplants		8-10 similar size
Tomato paste		1 tbsp
Garlic paste		1 tsp
Coriander powder		1 1/2 tbsp
Red chilli powder		1 tsp or to taste
Turmeric		1/4 tsp
Garam masala		1/2 tsp
Amchoor/dry mango powder		1/2 tsp
Lemon/lime juice		1 tbsp
Oil		2 tbsp
Cilantro		for garnish

Method:
1. Mix everything except the eggplant in a small bowl with a spoon. Wash and pat dry the eggplants. Don't remove the stems and slit them lengthwise from the bottom in both directions without breaking them.
2. Fill masala mix evenly in each eggplant. It is okay if it oozes over - you want the spice mix to flavor the inside of the eggplants.
3. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Place each eggplant in the hot oil in the pan.
4. Once all the eggplants are placed in the pan, turn the heat to low to medium low and cover the pan. Cook until the eggplant softens a bit. Turn each eggplant over, so they cook on all sides. Cook at low to medium heat while occasionally turning them over, and scraping off any spice mix from the pan, until the eggplants are tender and cooked through.
5. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve hot with bread, rice and daal. ENJOY!

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