Begun Toktoki - Achari Baingan

My hubby seems to have some problem with my laptop performing nice because I have noticed that it starts malfunctioning whenever he sits to work on it. He cannot keep his experimental nature at bay, and he finds a guinea pig in my laptop.

Just few days back on my birthday my laptop crashed and though I managed to restore the lion's share of the data stored in the hard disk, I lost some valuable items including songs and photos. I downloaded windows and all the other crucial features required for entering the cyber world, all over again and just when my laptop finally seemed to be working fine, my hubby sat with it again, just for half an hour, in front of my eyes. I was cooking dinner and I thought he might be checking FB only. But no, he had some other ideas. Within matter of a few minutes he tried to test a new driver which hung and then sent my laptop to sleep. Thank god, the virus that came from the driver was removed on time and yes, my hubby did the requisite to remove it somewhat being appalled by my high-pitched hollers and shouts playing in the background. It seems funny as I narrate the incident now, but at the time of the occurrence, 'funny' was the last feeling that came into my mind.

Back to the recipe, Achari Baingan is a delectable eggplant preparation for all brinjal or aubergine lovers. It complements roti or naan or paratha very well. However, it may go well with rice too.

Ingredients:                                                        Cooking time: 30 minutes ü  8-10 small eggplants ü  1 onion (chopped) ü  10 black peppercorns ü  8-10 cloves ü  2 tbsp coriander seeds ü  2/3 cup of grated coconut ü  1 heaped tbsp of sugar ü  Salt to taste ü  1 tsp turmeric powder ü  2 tsps of tamarind extract ü  2 tsp of cashew nuts ü  1 tsp red chilli powder ü  Coriander leaves (for garnishing) ü  White oil for cooking Method: 1) Slit at the base of the eggplants as shown below: 2) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet. When oil turns smoking hot, add black peppercorns, cloves, coriander seeds and onion. Sauté till they turn golden brown in color. Add grated coconut to the mixture and dry roast. 3)  Using a blender, grind this mixture into a paste adding few drops of water. Add sugar, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cashew nuts and tamarind extract to the paste and blend it again. 4) Put this masala paste inside the eggplants. 5) Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the eggplants one after another. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook covered on medium flame till eggplants soften with spices releasing a fascinating aroma. 6) Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti or paratha.