Jolada rotti with ennegai

Step 1: In a dry pan over a medium-low heat, roast 2 ⅛ oz raw peanuts for 5 minutes, stirring, until the skins blister and they smell toasty. Add 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, 1 oz dried coconut (copra), grated, 1 tbsp coriander seeds and 1 tsp cumin seeds and roast for 2 more minutes, until the sesame starts to pop and the coconut turns light gold.

Step 2: Let it cool, then grind to a coarse powder. Add 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 2 tsp Kashmiri or byadgi chilli powder, ¼ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 1 tbsp jaggery and 1 ½ tsp salt and grind again to a thick, coarse paste, with only a spoonful of water if needed.

Step 3: Wash 1 ⅛ lb small round brinjals (baby aubergines) and keep the stalks on. Cut each one in a cross from the bottom up to about 1 cm from the stalk, so the quarters stay joined. Soak them in salted water while you work, so they don't darken.

Step 4: Stuff each brinjal generously with the paste, pressing it into the cuts. Keep the leftover paste.

Step 5: Heat 5 tbsp groundnut oil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat, add 1 tsp black mustard seeds and let it crackle, then 10 curry leaves. Lay the brinjals in one layer and fry gently, turning every few minutes, for 8–10 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and turn glossy.

Step 6: Stir the leftover paste into 1 cup hot water and pour it around the brinjals. Cover and cook on a low heat for 15–20 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until a knife slides through the thickest brinjal and the oil separates and rises to the top of the thick gravy. Common mistake: hurrying it on a high heat; the paste catches and turns bitter before the brinjals are tender.

Step 7: For the rotti, mix 10 ½ oz jowar (sorghum) flour and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Pour in 1 ¼ cups boiling water a little at a time, stirring with a spoon, then knead while still warm (careful) for 4–5 minutes to a smooth, soft dough that doesn't crack at the edges when pressed.

Step 8: Take a lemon-sized piece, knead it again in your palms, and pat it out on a board dusted with jowar flour into a thin round about 18 cm across, turning it as you pat. Or roll it gently between two sheets of baking paper.

Step 9: Lay it on a hot tava over a medium-high heat. Brush the top with water at once. After 1 minute, when the underside has set, flip it; cook 1 minute, then flip again and press the edges with a cloth so it puffs. It is done when it has light brown spots and no wet patches. Repeat with the rest.

Step 10: Serve the rottis hot with the ennegai, raw onion and lemon.