Eggplant Thuvayal / Brinjal Thogayal

Thuvayal is a version of Chutney. They are both ground pastes/gravies of a certain vegetable or fruit that gets fried/roasted in chillies, tamarind, and a few other spices. They can be eaten with rice, can be had as a side-dish, and even be used as a spread on bread/sandwiches. Coconut thuvayal is the most popular kind, but since we were on an eggplant streak, here is the eggplant version of it. 

Ingredients:

1. 2  small-sized eggplants or 1 medium/large eggplant
2. 2 dry red chillies (depends on your preference)
3. 2-3 inch piece of tamarind (depends on the size of the eggplant)
4. 2 tablespoons of split urad dhal
5. 1 teaspoon of bengal-gram dhal (optional)
6. 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder (optional)
7. 1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
8. ¼-½ teaspoon of hing
9. 1 tablespoon of oil
10. 1-2 teaspoons of salt

 
Preparation:

1. Make a few shallow long slits along the length of the eggplant (so that they don't explode). Coat the eggplant/s with a couple of teaspoons of oil and broil them for 25-30 minutes (turning them at halfway). You could also roast the eggplants on the open flame of your stove, until the skin is charred.
2. When the eggplants are cooled, peel the skin and cut the flesh into chunks.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot splutter mustard seeds, add the dry chillies, turmeric, hing, bengal gram dhal, and split urad dhal until the pulses begin to brown slightly.
4. Switch off the heat and add the tamarind (tear the tamarind into little pieces). Let the tamarind fry a bit in the remaining heat.
5. Add the eggplant pieces to a blender/mixer and pulse/grind till it becomes smooth. Since eggplants have quite a bit of water in them, it’s not necessary to add water at this stage.
6. Now, add the roasted spices and salt along with the pureed eggplant and grind to a smooth paste.It's not necessary to add water, but if you must, sprinkle just a few spoons worth. Thuvayal shouldn't be runny and should of the consistency of hummus. 
   

That’s it. Thuvayal is ready. Taste and check for seasonings - you can add more chillies, tamarind or salt according to your preference. Some people roast the cut eggplant along with the spices and then grind everything together. I imagine this will taste quite good too, but this method also yields a tasty bowl of thuvayal since the broiled eggplants get cooked/roasted really well.