This Marathi eggplant is a quick version of stuff eggplant or bharli vangi. I became a huge fan of Marathi food because of the use of goda masala which is a super flavorful masala that includes sesame seeds, coconut and this funny lichen called dagad phool. Maharashtrian or Marathi cuisine is from the state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai resides.

This recipe is adapted from this post on Mumbai Masala. This dish is super easy as you just throw most everything in the pressure cooker. I pressure cooked the eggplant a little too long and it became very much like the texture of baingan bartha, but it was still quite nice. I adjusted the time below to what I think would be better.

1-2 tablespoons oil
1 onion chopped
1/4 cup frozen grated coconut (use fresh if you have it, but I have no patience for scraping a coconut!)
2 tablespoons peanuts ground in a coffee grinder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin powder
2 tablespoons goda masala (or 1-2 tablespoon garam masala if you don’t have goda masala)
1 cube Trader Joe’s frozen garlic
1 tablespoon jaggery
2 teaspoons tamarind pulp (I use the natural kind in the jar)
10 small eggplants cut into 4ths
~1 cup water
Salt
1/2 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
6-7 curry leaves

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and sautee onions for a couple of minutes.
2. Add coconut, ground peanuts, and powdered spices and cook for another couple of minutes.
3. Add the garlic, jaggery, tamarind, eggplants, water and salt.
4. Cover the cooker and heat on high until the first whistle. Turn down to medium and cook for about 5-6 minutes.
5. In a tadka or other small pan, heat the remaining oil and add the mustard seeds. Once they start to pop, add the curry leaves for a couple of seconds.
6. Throw into the eggplant and stir.