Baked Eggplants with Tamarind Glaze

Tamarind has a sweet-and-sour taste, and the combination with the roasted aromatic cumin seeds is great. I love to use the Japanese eggplants because of their delicate taste and slim shape, but you can use any variety of eggplant.

SERVES 6

2 pounds Japanese eggplant

6 tablespoons olive oil

salt to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons tamarind pulp

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted and ground

1 teaspoon nigella seeds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon jaggery or brown sugar

2 teaspoons coriander leaves

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut the eggplants vertically into 1/3-inch slices. Generously brush both sides with oil. Sprinkle each side lightly with salt and pepper.

Mix the tamarind pulp, cumin, nigella, sesame seeds, jaggery, salt, and 3tablespoons of water.

Arrange the eggplant slices in a baking dish in slightly overlapping rows.Drizzle the bottom layer with 1/3 of the tamarind mixture, spreading evenly with your fingers. Cover the bottom layer with 2 more layers of eggplants, evenly coating each layer with the tamarind mixture. Cover the baking dish with the foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve it in the same baking dish garnished with coriander leaves.