Alu brinjal means “potatoes and aubergines” (or egg plants, as some people call them). It's one of myriad dishes of this nature, and this one has the main advantage that I've written it down for further use. It's based on a recipe entitled “Gujrati [sic] style Aubergine and Potato, which I found in “The classic 1000 Indian recipes”, by Wendy Hobson, published by Foulsham. The original also includes 15 ml (!) of sugar, which I don't like too much.

Ingredients

quantity		ingredient		step
50 ml		oil		1, 4
20 g		garlic		1, 4
20 g		ginger		1, 4
200 g		onions		1, 4
10 g		coriander seed		2, 9
5 g		cummin seed		2, 9
10 g		ghee		3
0.5 g		asafoetida		3
4 g		fenugrek		3
2 g		black mustard seeds		3
2 g		yellow mustard seeds		3
400 g		tinned tomatoes		5, 10
400 g		potatoes		6, 7
500 g		aubergine		6, 8
15 g		dessicated coconut		8
5 g		turmeric		9
2.5 g		garam masala		9
1		green chili, about 10 g		12, 13
10 g		coriander leaves		12, 13
30 ml		lemon juice		13

Procedure

1. Blend the garlic, ginger and onions in the oil, adding water if it's too stiff.
2. Dry fry and grind the spices.
3. Fry the whole asafoetida, fenugrek and mustard seeds in the ghee until the mustard starts to pop.
4. Add the garlic, ginger and onion and fry until the oil starts to separate.
5. In the same mixer vessel, blend the tinned tomatoes.
6. In the meantime, peel the potatoes and cut the potatoes and aubergine into cubes about 1 to 1.5 cm on a side.
7. When the spice mixture is ready, add the potatoes and fry until golden brown.
8. Add the aubergine and dessicated coconut and fry briefly.
9. Add the spices and fry until aromatic.
10. Add the tomatoes, mix well, bring to the boil, and salt to taste. Add water if necessary.
11. Simmer slowly for about 20 minutes, by which time dish should be cooked and relatively dry. Adjust heat if necessary.
12. Chop chili and coriander leaves finely.
13. Add lemon juice and garnish with chili and coriander leaves. Serve.