Vankaya pulusu / Brinjal or Eggplant in tangy, spicy Tamarind sauce

There are so many 'pulusus' made of different vegetables, here is one more to include in that category.
When winter comes around, its time for hot comfort foods. Simple daals and pulusu falls into that category too. Hot steaming rice with some daal or pulusu on a cold fall or wintery night is just so fulfilling and wonderfully yummy!
Some parts of Andhra, pulusu is made with a small amount of daal in it or is eaten with daal on the side, plain daal mostly. But in other parts pulusu is made only of tamarind, tomato and veggies.
I make it both ways or should I say three ways, daal in it, on the side or not daal at all.
But mostly I make it like this.
Putting any vegetable in this tangy tamarind sauce gives it a sweet sour flavor, and please make it spicy for me! Tho these days I don't make it that spicy...thanx to the kids!!
I used the small baby eggplants, but you can surely use any kind, like the long variety or even the green ones or chutney eggplant. Only cut thick slices so that they don't get over cooked and disappear.

Ingredients:

6-8 baby brinjals, cut
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
4-5 green chillies

1 lemon size ball of tamarind, juices extracted

1/2 tsp methi seeds, menthulu (dry roasted and grounded to powder)

1 tbsp of oil
1/4 tsp urad daal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera, cumin seeds
3 dry red chillies, broken
bunch of curry leaves, karevapaku

salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
pinch of sugar or jaggery (optional)

chopped corainder leaves for garnish

Method:

Dry roast Methi seeds and grind to powder.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add urad daal, mustard seeds, jeera and let them splutter. Add dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the onions and green chillies and saute till cooked. Now add the cut eggplant, tomato and saute with some salt. Add some water if required.
After it gets cooked, add turmeric and chilli powder.
Next add the tamarind juice and mix well.
In the end, add the methi powder and simmer for 5 min till it gets thick. Add sugar or jaggery if you wish.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice, roti or phulkas.
Enjoy!!!