<>For the masala:

1. Peel onion and cut them into four pieces.
2. Chop tomato finely and keep aside.
3. Heat a drop of oil in a pan and add asafoetida, followed by the Bengal gram dal, coriander seeds, cinnamon and red chillies and roast till it is golden in colour.
4. Cool the roasted ingredients and dry grind them into a fine powder.
5. Now add the cut onions and salt to the powder and again run the mixer.
6. There is no need to add water while grinding, since the juice of onion is enough to make a paste.

To prepare the eggplant:

1. Wash and carefully slit eggplants from the top. Make eight segments (4 cuts), but leave the segments on the stalk, and don`t cut so far that the segment breaks away.
2. Stuff the vegetable in the middle and in between the segments with the ground paste.
3. After stuffing all the eggplants, heat oil in a pan.
4. Add cumin seeds and the chopped tomatoes.
5. Add a pinch of salt and saute for one minute.
6. Arrange the stuffed eggplants in the pan and turn each of them gently to coat with oil.
7. Cover with lid and cook on low fire until it is done.
8. When the vegetable becomes tender remove lid and keep sauteing till it absorbs all the spice.
9. Enjoy with rice, chapathi or bread.

Recipe courtesy: Chitra Amma`s Kitchen