Srilankan Eggplant Curry1

A delicious flavorful eggplant curry with a hint of coconut milk and garlic - simple but delicious!This is a simple recipe but needs a little prep but the result is absolutely delicious and different! My friend who is married to a Srilankan makes it really well - it#39;s obviously passed down generations in their family! To prepare the flavor base, blend 1/2 cup of coconut milk, with some garlic pods (2-3 pods or 1 tsp paste) and 1/2 tsp of turmeric paste and keep it aside. Slice Chinese eggplant thinly lengthwise (2 mm slices) using a mandarin slicer. Rub salt on it and spread the slices out in an oven tray and heat it on 375 deg Fahrenheit for about 15-20 minutes till the pieces are dry or slightly brown (but not crispy). The idea is to remove the moisture from them. Then, heat a heavy bottomed pan with a tbsp of oil, splultter some mustard seeds, then add the eggplant slices and saute them lightly for couple minutes till they are coated with oil. Add the coconut milk- garlic-turmeric mixture slowly and gradually till all the eggplant slices are coated with it. Just toss lightly and you are done. You can garnish with some cilantro leaves and sprinkle some curry powder (optional). It serves as a good accompaniment for rice and daal.