Brinjal Sabji with Moong Dal (South Indian Recipe)

I must confess that I am not much fond of Brinjal or eggplant. I like its fried rings but I cannot be counted amongst the fans of Baingan Bharata. The fact of the matter, however, is that the list of the vegetables that I like is shorter than that of the ones that I don't. So if I have to survive, and eat to survive, it is imperative to find new recipes in the hope that one of them might make the vegetable palatable for me.

Back to the long-forgotten cook-books and notebooks filled with jotted down recipes then! I found this recipe shared in an episode of a cookery show called "Southern Spice" on 23rd March, 2011 - probably on NDTV Good Times. I tried it out and the end result was well worth the effort. So, without much ado, here it is the recipe:

Cut 2 medium brinjals into tiny pieces and keep them soaked in water (so as to prevent them from turning black). Soak half a cup of Moong Dal in water for 15 minutes and cook it for 15 minutes with the lid on.

Heat oil in a pan. Add pieces of 3 dried red chillies, mustard seeds, half a tsp of Urad Dal and saute. When the dal turns light brown, add curry leaves and finely cut pieces of 2 onions. Saute. When the onion turns red add turmeric powder, chilli powder, asafoetida and salt. Saute. Add tamarind pulp and cooked Moong Dal. Saute. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.