SPICY CUMIN EGGPLANT

1 medium eggplant, peeled
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 tbsp sunflower oil
¾ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp tumeric
1/8 tsp hing (asafetida)
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup chick pea flour
1 tbsp onion chopped
½ tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder

wash and peel eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes. In heavy skillet, heat oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add turmeric, hing, onion and pepper. Then add eggplant and salt, mix well. Cover and cook 5 min. eggplant gets soft. Remove lid and add chickpea flour and remaining ingredients. Mix well and cook uncovered 5-7 min over medium heat. Stir so flour will not stick or burn. Serve with dal and rice, barley or millet.

By Anna Strong

TCM ANALYSIS

Eggplant: sweet, light, oily, cool. SP/ST/LI. Clears heat, moves blood, breaks stasis.
Bell pepper: sweet, oily, warm. Invigorates qi.
Turmeric: warming, bitter. Reduces tumors, decongests liver.
Cumin: warming
Sea salt: cold, salty. Cools heat, cools blood.
Mustard seeds: warming benefit lung
Chilli powder: acrid, hot.

Overall analysis:
The dish balances itself nicely with a combination of warming spices and cooling eggplant. The eggplant and turmeric both work well for blood stasis breaking.