Eggplant Stew

Mediterranean cuisine is so much closer to our own than I had ever expected. Similar techniques, similar spices makes it one of the closest cousins of our food. I got hold of a couple of books from the library on the subject and of course found some interesting recipes. One of them was the Eggplant stew. I sort of tweaked on of the recipes to accommodate things in my pantry. I liked it and Honey loved it. We had it for dinner with rice and packed the leftovers for Honey's lunch.



We will need

Eggplant/Brinjals 2 small (baby eggplants)
Masoor Dal/Lentils 1/2 c (Soak over night)
Tomato 1 giant
Onion 1 small
Garlic 2 cloves
Dhania powder 1 tsp
Chilly powder 1/2 tsp (adjust according to taste)
Turmeric scant 1/4 tsp
Jeera powder 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder /2 tsp
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Mint leaves 2 tbsp chopped
Salt
Lemon juice

Method:

1. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Throw in the onions followed by minced garlic.
   Saute till golden.
2. Throw in the chopped Brinjal, saute for a few minutes and throw in all the spice powder.
   
3. Mix well and saute for a few minutes till the masala smells cooked.
4. Throw in the lentils, diced tomatoes and about 2 cups of water.
5. Bring it to a quick boil and simmer till the lentils are tender and all the spiced are cooked.
6. Finish with salt, mint leaves and a dash of lemon juice. Check before adding the lemon juice. Sometimes the tomatoes are tart and in that case, Lemon juice is entirely optional.
7. Serve hot with rice and Boondi mixture

Sending it to the FIL Brinjal . Thanks a lot Nithya for letting me know. Dedicating this dish to my Honey for he is the one who gets to eat what ever comes out of my kitchen, and because he is sporty enough to try new tastes.