Eggplant is commonly served undercooked, which I feel is one of the reasons people don’t like it. It should never be crunchy (in my opinion) but melt in your mouth. However you cook your eggplant, make sure to err on the side of too much cooking time, rather than too-little.
For this recipe, simply roast your eggplant whole in the oven or on the grill until it is completely soft. If you like, you can add a cup or two of parboiled green beans after mashing the eggplant.
Heat the oven to 400. Place your eggplant(s) on a baking sheet or pyrex dish and bake until it shrivels and is easily pierced with a knife — 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool.
While the eggplant is baking, chop 1 yellow onion and mince 3 cloves of garlic.
Peel and mince ginger to make 1 T.
Dice 1 lb. of tomatoes.
Heat 2 T. ghee or olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions. Cook over medium-low heat until they begin to soften. Add 2 t. garam masala powder and 1/2 t. turmeric, plus diced fresh jalapeno or cayenne pepper to taste. Stir into the onions and cook until they are nicely browned.
Add the tomatoes, along with the ginger and garlic, and raise the heat. Simmer the tomatoes until they soften and release their liquids, then lower the heat. Continue to simmer for 10-20 minutes but don’t let it get too thick.
When the eggplant is cool, remove the stem at the top and then chop it roughly — skin too — and then mix into the tomato mixture. Mash roughly with a wooden spoon or a potato masher.
Season with salt and lime juice and serve with rice.