Eggplant with Sesame Seeds - Til Begun

The recipe of Til Begun was in my draft folder for some time now. I didn't publish the post because

 last time when I made it, although the gravy was awesome in taste, the brinjals I bought from a

Middle Eastern shop were very springy in texture, which completely ruined the flavour and hence

 the pics taken then were not up to my satisfaction. So mind it, in order to get a favourable result,

 you need to buy good breed of brinjals or eggplants that are soft in texture. Good quality eggplants

don't take much time for cooking. They easily soften. You know your brinjals are not good in

quality when they take longer time than usual for cooking and remain springy despite your best

efforts of cooking it for more than half an hour.

Anyway, this time while cooking it, I ensured to buy the best quality of brinjals from Wal-Mart. I

wonder why last time I bought the eggplants from the Middle Eastern shop, may be because they

 looked healthy and appetizing, a reason enough to allure a potential customer. You see we eat with

 our eyes first. Just as "anything that glitters is not gold" same way any brinjal that looks plump and

beautiful is not always the best in quality. In Kolkata, I never had reasons to complain about

vegetables; they were always fresh and green. I cannot report the same, however, about Bangalore :( 
 

Ingredients:                                                      Cooking time: 30 minutes ü  2 large brinjals (cut into semicircular shapes) ü  2 heaped tbsp yogurt, beaten ü  2 tomatoes (chopped) ü  4-5 green chillies (chopped) ü  2 tsp sesame seeds ü  1/2 tsp hing or asafetida powder ü  1 bay leaf ü  1 tsp turmeric powder, plus extra for coating the brinjals ü  1 tsp kashmiri red mirch ü  1 tsp cumin powder ü  1 tsp coriander powder ü  1 tsp ginger paste ü  1 1/2 tsp sugar ü  Salt to taste ü  White oil for cooking Method: 1) Toss the eggplants in a pinch of turmeric powder and salt. Fry them in hot oil till they are brown in color. Set aside. 2) Dry roast the sesame seeds and then grind them into powder. Keep aside. 3) Into the same oil that has been used for frying the eggplants, add hing or asafetida powder and bay leaf. When they begin to sizzle, add tomatoes and fry till tomatoes soften. 4) Add ginger paste, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, kashmiri red mirch, green chillies, salt and sugar. Add 2 tbsp of water and sauté the mixture for 2 minutes. 5) Add yogurt and roasted sesame powder. Sauté again till yogurt blends into the spice. Add 1/4 cup of water. Simmer the gravy for 2 minutes. 6) Toss the fried eggplants in. Cook on low heat for 1 minute and turn the heat off. 7) Serve hot with roti or chapati.