Eggplant In Curry-Coconut Sauce

Ingredients

• 8  peas 
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns whole black
• 1 cup cashew pieces unsalted coarsely chopped
• 1  cinnamon sticks 
• 0.5 cup coconut or shredded
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds 
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 
• 0.5  juice of lemon juiced
• 4 servings mint leaves for garnish
• 0.5 teaspoon mustard seeds 
• 1  pepper dried red
• 2  chilies dried red
• 4 servings salt 
• 1 tablespoon nigella seeds 
• 1 tablespoon turmeric 
• 1 pound butter unsalted
• 2 cups coconut milk unsweetened
• 2 cups vegetable stock 
• 1  onion yellow chopped

Equipment

• frying pan
• sauce pan
• pot
• sieve
• dutch oven
• immersion blender
• cheesecloth

Directions

1. Heat 1/4 cup of the ghee in a large pot over medium flame, add the onions and sprinkle with the curry powder. Cook and stir for a few minutes until the onions are soft.
2. Add the cashews, shredded coconut, coconut milk, and vegetable broth. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the eggplant.
3. Cut the eggplant into chunks.
4. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup of ghee in a deep skillet or Dutch oven and add the eggplant. Cook and stir until the eggplant gets charred and sticky.
5. Puree the coconut sauce with a handheld blender, until it's pretty smooth.
6. Pour the sauce over the eggplant and toss in the cinnamon stick and chile. Season with salt, to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes until thick. Give a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor, garnish with mint leaves, and serve with steamed basmati rice and/or flat bread.
7. Put the butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, swirl the pot around to ensure that it melts slowly and does not sizzle or brown. Increase the heat and bring the butter to a boil. When the surface is covered with foam, stir gently and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. Gently simmer, uncovered, and undisturbed for 45 minutes, until the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown and the butter on top is transparent. Strain the ghee through a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth. The ghee should be perfectly clear and smell nutty; pour into a glass jar and seal tightly.