Chicken in Eggplant Sauce
 
 
Ingredients
To marinate eggplant
  • Eggplant, small- 8, cut vertical or diced ( I used small Indian eggplant)
  • Ground pepper- ¼ tsp
  • Kashmiri red chili powder- 1½ tsp (or use 1 tsp regular chili powder)
  • Cumin powder- 1½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
  • Salt- to taste
To add while cooking eggplant:
  • Tamarind juice- 4 tbsp (2 inch fresh slice soaked in 4 tbsp warm water, combine in water and strain the juice)
  • Oil- 3 tbsp
Other ingredients
  • Chicken, boneless, cubed- 3 chicken breasts
  • Tamarind juice- 4 tbsp ( I used fresh tamarind soaked in water, if using concentrated paste use only ½ tsp or so as it's very tangy)
  • White sesame seeds- 3 tbsp
  • Ground pepper or chili powder- ½ tsp or so according to your spice level
  • Salt- to taste
  • Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful
Instructions
  1. I used small Indian eggplants, you could use any variety, dice it or cut vertically.
  2. In a small bowl, combine eggplant along with all the spices mentioned above to marinate the eggplant, set aside for 5 minutes.
  3. Heat a large non-stick pan, add 3 tbsp oil and swirl the pan to spread the oil all over the pan.
  4. Spread the eggplant on the pan, cook covered till eggplant turns tender and starts to turn golden in color.
  5. If it starts to brown, add some water and cook.
  6. Soak fresh tamarind in 4 tbsp warm water, combine it in water using your hand and strain the juice.
  7. If using concentrated tamarind paste, add only ½ tsp or so.
  8. Add tamarind juice to the cooked eggplant and cook for a few more minutes till it turns thick.
  9. Remove the pan from the heat, let eggplants cool down a bit.
  10. Puree the eggplants along with white sesame seeds in a blender along with enough water to make a thick paste.
  11. Keep aside the eggplant sauce.
  12. Cook the chicken covered in the same pan used for cooking eggplant, cook till chicken has done well.
  13. Add the eggplant puree to the cooked chicken.
  14. Add 4 tbsp more fresh tamarind juice, if using concentrated tamarind paste add only a little.
  15. Combine well and add some water to thin down the sauce.
  16. Add ground pepper or chili powder if you want it to be spicy.
  17. Taste and add salt.
  18. Finish it off with cilantro.
  19. Transfer the eggplant chicken to a bowl, sprinkle 2 tsp sesame seeds over it and serve with rice or roti.
  20. You can even serve this as a soup.
Notes
The cooked eggplant tasted really good, you can serve that as a side veggie dish.
The eggplant sauce by itself tastes good too.
Recipe by Cooking with Thas - Smart Cooking, Smart Living at https://thasneen.com/cooking/chicken-in-eggplant-sauce/