Spice Babies

These little Spiced-Stuffed Baby Eggplant look like alien life forms – and not the benign humanoid kind that want to be our friends. But these 'plants are delicious and perfect for this kind of presentation.

I used Thai green eggplants, but you can get the standard purple version, too. While they’re very sweet, a short immersion in salted water helps draw out any lingering bitterness, and they are really best when super-fresh. I get them at the Indian grocery, but baby eggplant have been popping up in farmer’s market and CSA baskets this year. If you can’t find these little babies, you can use small Italian eggplants; just slice them lengthwise, make 3-4 shallow cuts lengthwise, and stuff the cuts with the nut mixture.



Here's the finished dish; no, it's not particularly beautiful. But they're spicy and delicious and alien. What's cooler than that?

Spiced Stuffed Baby Eggplant (Bharvaan Baingan)
(6 servings)

12 Thai eggplant or other “baby” eggplant
¼ Cup ground cashews or peanuts
3 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes (preferably Indian)
½ tablespoon salt
3 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 Cup water
1 Tablespoon tomato past
Salt to taste
Fistful of chopped cilantro

Use a small sharp knife to cut an “x” through the root end of each eggplant – but don’t cut all the way through. Put them in a bowl of cold water, stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, and let them stand for 30 minutes.

Combine the nuts, coconut, ginger, garam masala, salt, turmeric, chili flakes, salt and 1 T. of the canola oil in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until fairly fine. You don’t want nut butter, so watch it!

Drain the eggplant and pat dry. Gently pry apart the eggplant sections and stuff each with about ½ teaspoon of the nut mixture. Press closed. Reserve the remaining nut mixture for your sauce.
In a 12” skillet, heat the remaining 2 T. oil over MEDIUM heat.

Arrange the eggplant in a single layer; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and flip the eggplant. Cover and cook 3 minutes longer.

Stir in the remaining nut mixture, water, and tomato paste. Bring the mixture to a simmer; cover and simmer 7-8 minutes, or until eggplant are tender. Taste and adjust sauce seasonings: you may want to thin the sauce with a little more water.

Serve hot or cold, garnished with fresh cilantro.