• Wash small, round variety brinjal/eggplant and slit each into 4 or 6 parts (depending on the size) making sure that the eggplant pieces remain attached to their stalk. You can also cut them into quarters if you want to discard the stalk.
  

Bagara Baingan Masala:

• Wash and soak tamarind in water. Extract the juice and compost the pulp.
  
• Dry roast sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds until they are slightly browned and fragrant. Grind to a fine powder using a spice blender.
  
• In the same pan, heat oil. Add minced ginger and garlic. Sauté until lightly browned. Add onions and roast until translucent. Add this mix to a blender.
  
• Along with the onions, add powdered spices from the first step, tomatoes, tamarind juice and grated coconut. Blend until smooth. Add a tiny bit of water if needed, if the moisture content of the tomatoes and tamarind juice is not sufficient.
  
• Transfer the blended masala into the pan. Add salt, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and freshly grated black pepper. Cook the gravy for a couple of minutes. Gently lower the slit eggplants into the gravy.
  
• Cover with lid and cook on a medium-low flame. Gently rotate the eggplants every couple of minutes so they absorb the gravy and cook evenly. Turn off the heat when the eggplants are fully cooked but not mushy (you may need to poke a fork and check once in a while).
  
• Garnish with finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves before serving.