Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan

This recipe was given by my cousin Rekha Acharya.

Ingredients:
6-8 small & tender purple Eggplants/brinjals
1½ cups Onions sliced (used for the masala paste & final gravy)
1/4 cup Peanuts
1 Tbsp  Sesame seeds
1 tsp  Poppy seeds
1 tsp  Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp  Cumin seeds
1 inch piece  Cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp grated coconut 
1 inch piece Ginger
4-5 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Jaggery grated
1 tsp tamarind extract/ pulp from a key lime sized tamarind ball
2 Tbsp Peanut oil/Vegetable oil
6-7 nos Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash the eggplants and pat them dry. You can chop off the thick stem on top, but leave the crown intact. It helps hold the eggplant together during the cooking process.
• In a sauté pan dry roast the peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, coriander and cumin seeds, grated coconut and cinnamon stick one after the other. Use a medium flame and stir the ingredients frequently to achieve even browning. Allow them to cool for a few minutes
• Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and brown the sliced onions, about 8-10mins. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over them in the beginning to draw out their moisture.
• Once all the dry roasted ingredients have cooled down, grind them together to a fine paste along with half the cooked onions, ginger, garlic, tamarind extract, turmeric powder and a little water to help the blending process. You will need a thickish paste that can be stuffed into the eggplants.
• Using a paring knife, carefully make crosswise slits through the eggplant stopping an inch before you get to the stem end. Stuff about a teaspoon of the paste into the slits, this will need some patience 
• Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a deep saucepan, sauté the curry leaves and carefully add the stuffed brinjals to the pan. They tend to splutter a lot, so cover the pan and let them cook for about 10 mins, until they soften. Rotate them every few minutes so they cook evenly.
• Reduce the heat a bit, add the rest of the masala paste, the other half of the cooked onions, red chilli powder, a cup and a half of water, jaggery and salt to taste.
• Cook on medium heat until the eggplants are cooked through and the oil starts to separate from the masala and collect around the edges.