Indian Baby Eggplant Curry

We harvested the last of the calliopes and Ichiban (my two favorite eggplant varieties) from our garden a few weeks ago even though they were just baby-sized. We didn't think the plants would last long enough to ripen to full size with this cold wet weather.

The small Indian Eggplant would be perfect for this dish. Slit and stuff with the spice-paste/masala and cook in tomato-based sauce.

Ingredients
6 baby or indian eggplant, each about the size of a grade A large egg
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
3 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste
water as needed
spices for cooking:
1 Tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
for masala paste:
1/2 medium yellow onion coarsely chopped
2" piece of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Preparation

1. in a blender, combine the ingredients for the masala paste, with 1 Tbsp of oil and blend it to a smooth paste; set this masala paste aside
2. slit the baby eggplants up to about 1/2 cm from the stem, without breaking up the stem, into roughly lengthwise quarters
3. gently separate at the slits, while holding the stem tight, and slather on the masala paste into the slits of the eggplant, in a thin layer, taking care not to break apart the eggplant; set aside
4. heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a pan, add the diced onions and a pinch of salt and any remaining masala paste left over after slatherting/stuffing the eggplants; sautee till onion turns translucent
5. add the can of diced tomatoes and the rest of the spices, stir till well-incorporated to form a gravy of sorts, adjust salt to taste
6. gently place the 'stuffed' eggplants into the gravy so they are mostly submerged in the gravy, cover and let it simmer over medium low heat till eggplant changes color and looks done - cooked through but not mushy, adding water as needed
7. when eggplant looks done, off heat, stir gently, garnish with cilantro and serve warm with rotis or naan or basmati rice