Trim the stems and make a '+' cut on the base. Soak them in salted water.
Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onions, green chilies, ginger+garlic paste and cook till the onions are lightly browned around the edges, about 5~6 minutes.Add the eggplants, cover and cook till they are tender.
Next add the chopped tomatoes, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Cook till the tomatoes turn mushy. Add water if the curry looks too dry. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve with rice or roti and dal.
Notes
se small-ish, evenly sized baby eggplant. Either purple or green ones will work in this recipe.
You can use ½ cup of tomato puree instead of fresh tomatoes.
You can make the same recipe with globe eggplant as well. It won't be muvva vankaya, of course, but it will still taste amazing.
If you like, add more water to make a thinner gravy for the curry.
Leftover curry can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.