BRINJAL (EGGPLANT) AND PEANUT CURRY

Peanuts is one of my husband's favorite legumes, so I keep trying out different vegetable combination with peanuts, either in the form of stir fries or curries. This is my mother-in-law's recipe, very easy to prepare in just 15 minutes.  This dish goes well with rice and chapathis. Our favorite combination for this recipe is some plain rice with rasam and chips.

Ingredients:
1.  Brinjals, (eggplant), any variety, (I have used Japanese eggplants here), medium-size, 3-4. Cut them into small pieces, and soak them in water until it is ready to be added to the pan.
2. Raw peanuts, soaked for a 4-5 hours, and boiled until it is well done. I used a pressure cooker to cook the peanuts. Add a teaspoon of salt and cover the peanuts with just enough water and pressure cook them for 10 minutes for up to 3 whistles.
3. Onion, medium-size, 1, diced finely.
4. Tomatoes, medium size, 2, chopped finely.
5. Green chilies, 2, slit into two.
6.  Curry leaves, a handful.
7.  Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
8.  Mustard seeds, 1/4 teaspoon.
9.  Fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon.
10 Salt as per taste.
11. Chili powder or sambar powder, 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon depending on preferred spice  level.
12. Turmeric powder, a pinch.

Preparation:
Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter once the oil is hot. Then add the fennel seeds, and fry for a few seconds. Add the diced onions and curry leaves now and sauté for a few minutes until the onions are tender.  Add the diced tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste and keep sauteeing until everything is blended.  Add the turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt and fry everything for a minute. Another tablespoon of oil can be added at this stage if needed. Finally add the chopped brinjals and boiled peanuts, mix everything well, and cook closed under low-to-medium flame for 10-12 minutes until the brinjals turn soft. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or chapathis.

Variations:
Roasted peanuts can also be used here instead of boiled peanuts.
The whole dish can be cooked in pressure cooker if you are running short of time. Add everything in a pressure cooker, (except for the mustard seeds and fennel seeds ), add just enough water to cover everything, and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles for 10 minutes. In this case, the peanuts should be raw, and cooked along with the vegetables. Fry the mustard and fennel seeds, pour it over the dish, mix everything well, and serve hot.