Indian Eggplant Ragout

Ingredients

• 1000 g long slender eggplants (4 long slender eggplants)
• Salt
• 500 g tomatoes (8 tomatoes)
• 4 red onions
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 0.5 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp brown mustard seeds
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin
• 400 ml Vegetable broth
• 5 sprigs mint
• 300 g Yogurt (0.3% fat)
• Pepper
• a splash of red wine vinegar

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash eggplants, pat dry, trim and cut lengthwise in half. Lightly salt the cut surfaces and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. 2.

   Meanwhile wash tomatoes, quarter them, trim stems, core and roughly chop the flesh. Peel onions and dice into 1 cm cubes. Peel garlic and mince.

3. 3.

   Mix chili powder, ginger, and turmeric in a small bowl.

4. 4.

   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy skillet. Pat eggplants dry and fry on cut sides in hot oil for 1 minute, then flip, fry another 30 seconds, and remove.

5. 5.

   Heat remaining oil. Briefly sauté coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, and cumin.

6. 6.

   Add onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.

7. 7.

   Add tomatoes and the spice mixture from the bowl and steam for 1 minute.

8. 8.

   Pour broth into skillet, return eggplants, cover, and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.

9. 9.

   Wash mint, shake dry, pluck leaves, finely chop, and mix with yogurt, a pinch of salt, and pepper. Transfer cooked eggplants to a platter. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar, then pour over the eggplants. Serve with mint yogurt.