Tangy Stuffed Eggplants

Day2 of Stuffed Delicacies -- Tangy Stuffed Eggplants. I love eggplants..Come to think of it,there isn't an eggplant dish that I have not liked. What prompted me to make this dish last week? A few days ago, my friend tried out a recipe from Arusuvai.com and had that on the menu for her son's birthday. I was hooked on it and was hogging around the pan that had this dish. Soon-after I wanted to make it at home while the tangy deliciousness was  lingering on my mind. So here it is. Well, the original dish was slightly different and this is my adapted version of it--
A few other Stuffed Eggplant recipes for my new readers-
Maharashtrian "Sugar N Spice" Stuffed Eggplants
Lebanese Stuffed Eggplants With PineNuts N Raisins
Baghare Bhaingan
Stuffed Mini Eggplants In Kadai Gravy
Tangy Stuffed Eggplants on a bed of Fragrant Dill and Lime Beans Rice:

The Original Dish -- So delicious that it made me reach out for second, third and fourth helping..It had a tad more Olive Oil than I would have preferred, but that didn't stop me from reaching out.The Masala wasn't ground or stuffed inside, rather poured over the eggplants..

Ingredients:

• 12#s Small Eggplants
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds (Optional)
• Lemon-sized Tamarind

For Grinding1:

• 1-1/2 Tbsp White Sesame seeds(Original recipe calls for Black)
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Stalks Curry Leaves

For Grinding2:

• 1 Large Yellow Onion, roughly chopped
• 3 Medium Tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 7 Garlic Cloves
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• Salt for taste

Procedure:

• Soak the tamarind in a little warm water and extract thick pulp from it.
• Dry roast the ingredients under "Grinding1" and coarsely grind it.  Set aside.
• In a pan, add a tbsp of oil and fry the garlic, onions till the onions are browned.
• Add the tomatoes,all the powders and the salt. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked.
• Grind them coarsely with no water. 
• Stuffing Masala: Mix the sesame-cumin powder(Ground Powder) with the ground onion-tomato paste.
• Quarter the eggplants without cutting through.
• Stuff each eggplant with a tsp of stuffing.

• Heat a tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds(if using). Once it starts sputtering, add the stuffed eggplants and gently fry them for a couple of minutes.

• Mix the leftover masala with the thick tamarind pulp and pour it on top of the eggplants. Stir gently to incorporate.
• Check for salt and spice. Add more if needed.
• Lid the pan and cook for 10 minutes on a low flame until the gravy thickens.

• Serve this as a side with rice or roti.