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1
Cut the stems from the eggplants and discard.
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2
Slice each fruit in half lengthwise, then again, then cut the long strips into short, fat chunks.
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3
Put these in a colander and sprinkle generously with sea salt.
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4
Let them sit for a good thirty minutes.
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5
Peel the ginger and chop it finely, then do the same with the garlic.
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6
Put them into a blender (or a food processor) along with the lemon juice.
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7
Whiz till you have a smoothish puree.
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8
This may take a bit of doing.
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9
Coarsely chop the tomatoes.
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10
Slice the chiles thinly, without removing the seeds; you want the dish to be really quite spicy.
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11
Coarsely chop the cilantro.
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12
Once the eggplants have relaxed, rinse them of their salt and pat them dry.
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13
Heat the oil in a large pan, then, when it starts to sizzle, add the eggplants, letting them color on their cut edges, turning them so that they are golden all over.
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14
Add the garlic and ginger paste and stir to coat.
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15
Mix in the tomatoes and chiles, shortly followed by the cilantro and 4 tablespoons of water.
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16
Season with salt and let simmer gently for four or five minutes, until the eggplants have softened further.
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17
Taste for seasoning, check the eggplants for tendernessthey should be soft to the point of collapseand serve with warm naan to mop it up.
