Vankaya Kotthimeeri Karam Kura (Stuffed baby eggplant with Cilantro)

1/2 kg. Small eggplants

Filling:
4-8 hot green chilies
½” piece of ginger (optional)
1 bunch cilantro
½ lime juice (optional)
Salt to taste

Coarsely grind green chilies (and ginger), cilantro and salt.
Optionally add lime juice.
Wash and slit the eggplants at the bottom, about 2/3 of the way – keeping them in tact at the stem.
Gently stuff each eggplant with a tsp of the ground spice.
Heat 5 Tsp oil. When the oil is hot, gently add the eggplants. Cover. Pour 2-3 Tsp of water on the lid.
After 5 minutes, turn the eggplants. Cover, this time, with no water in the lid. Repeat till all sides are cooked.

Indian green beans -- chikkudu and goru chikkudu – (cut) and Donda (stuffed) can also be cooked using the same spice mix and method.