Baked Brinjal Chutney

This baked or smoked brinjal(eggplant) thogaiyal (chutney) is an heirloom recipe. This is a south Indian version of Baingan ka Bhartha in the sense that both the dishes have smoked brinjal as base. Makes a great meal when mixed with hot rice , sesame oil and served with papad. This can also be served as a side-dish for idli/dosa

Ingredients:
1 big eggplant
Urad dhall - 1 table spoon
Red chillies - 3 medium
Tamarind - lime size ball
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tsp
Mustard - 2 tsp
Hing a pinch



Method:
1. Polish the brinjal with sesame oil. Bake the brinjal at 400 degrees for 20 min. Turn the brinjal upside down in between for even cooking. Check if the brinjal is cooked thorougly with the skin easy to peel off and place in cold water. If not, cook for some more time. The cooking time might vary with size of brinjal.

Alternately, cook on low flame till done with the help of tongs, if you do not have an oven.

2. Meanwhile, heat a tsp of oil and fry urad dhall till light brown. Add tamarind and red chillies. Fry everything till the dhall turns golden brown and chillis turn crisp. Lastly, add hing. Allow to cool.
3. Peel off the skin of brinjal and break roughly into pieces. Wait till it cools down. Grind together with the ingredients in point 2 and salt into a smooth paste.
4. Season with mustard,hing and urad dhall. You can even heat a little oil and fry the chutney till oil separates for better taste and shelf life.