Bharva Baingan masala / stuffed brinjal in gravy

They say never watch food shows, go shopping to a supermarket or order food while you are really hungry.
I watched a movie the other day before lunch called - Lunch Box. The story-line is this. The heroine tries to rekindle the romance in her marriage by sending tasty food to her husband's office.
Thank God I had made lunch that day!
There was one curry the heroine makes with small brinjals / eggplant / aubergine, which I really wanted to eat.

So I asked my friend , Mrs. Shefali Arvind, a good cook, if she had a recipe. She passed me a dry, stuffed brinjal recipe.
But my dish had a gravy. Oil floated on top and the brinjal was cooked till soft, but still held shape.

The search continued and today the push became a shove.
Craving started. (No, I am not pregnant!)
Online search led me to a curry which 'looked' like the fleeting image I had seen in the movie. But the taste buds in my mind did not agree.
Further searched and a you-tube video recipe forcefully said it was THE curry. But I thought it looked too messy and would taste like "Baigan ka salaan".

I decided I will go to the market, get some eggplants and probably the fresh air would ignite my brain cells and if necessary, I would just invent a curry.
After I came back, a thought struck me. This movie was on a Maharastrian house-wife. So probably the dish is a marathi dish?
Eureka!! Found the dish - Bharli Vangi!!
I made the curry and my husband enjoyed it as much as I did. It is simply amazing. The smell in the house while preparing the dish and afterwards is mouth watering.
I loved the fact that it had no garam masala.

Ingredients:

Baby brinjal / eggplant / aubergine / baingan - 6
Onion -2, medium - finely chopped
Tomato - 1, medium - finely chopped
Jeera / cumin seed - 1/2 tsp
salt
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp as solid (If it is syrup - 1 tbsp)
Oil - 1 tbsp + 3 tbsp

To be ground:

Dry coconut / copra -  2 tbsp (preferred)

(or) Fresh Coconut - 1/2 cup
Til seeds / ellu - 1 tbsp
Jeera / Cumin seed - 1 tbsp
Ground nuts - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 4 cloves
Green chilly -2
Coriander leaf - 1 handful or 1/4 cup packed tight

Method:
Wash and dry the brinjals.
Make a deep cross slit in each at the bottom, but be careful to not break it's shape.

Powder the coconut with til seed, jeera and ground nuts.
Now add in the coriander leaf, garlic and green chillies.
Grind into a coarse paste with as less water as possible.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and splutter the jeera.
Add the onions and fry till translucent.
Then add all the powders - salt, turmeric, chilly and asafoetida - and jaggery.

Fry on medium flame for 30 seconds and add the chopped tomato.
Fry till the tomato softens and add the ground paste.

Mix well and cook for 30 seconds.
Allow to cool.

Stuff the brinjals liberally with the prepared masala. There will be some left over masala.

Heat 3 tbsp oil and fry the stuffed brinjals for 2 minutes on high flame, stirring often.

Tip in the rest of the masala and add about 1 cup of water.

(I cleaned out my masala-prepared-vessel and mixer with good water and used it in the curry. No need to waste flavor!)

Bring to a boil, reduce flame and cook covered. Cook till the brinjals soften (7 -10 minutes).

When the brinjal softens, open vessel and continue cooking till oil floats on top and gravy thickens (10 - 12 minutes).

Serve hot with Chappathy.