Units Scale

3 small eggplants or use Asian eggplant
3 sweet peppers, all different colors
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
2 carrots, ideally multi-colored heirlooms
3 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes
1 large onion
1 kg/2 1/4 pounds of tomatoes, ideally mixed multi-colored heirlooms
1/2 head of garlic, ideally a Georgian heirloom variety such as Chesnok or Metechi
1/2 bunch of parsley
1/2 bunch cilantro
4 sprigs of purple basil or a mix of Thai Holy Bail and regular basil
1/8 cup minced fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon utsho suneli – if unavailable, use regular ground fenugreek seed
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron threads
Sunflower oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Cut the eggplant into cubes, cover them with salt and cover with cold water. After 1 hour, remove water and squeeze out any excess moisture.
Preheat the frying pan and fry the eggplant in oil until tender. Lay eggplant on paper towels.
In the same pan, reheat the oil and add more if necessary. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes the same size as the eggplant. Fry until lightly crisp and remove to paper towels.
Cut the onion into small cubes, the peppers into strips and and grate the carrots. In the same pan, fry the chopped onion in oil until golden brown for 10 minutes. Add carrots and sweet/hot peppers and continue to fry everything on low heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, and then dip them in cold water to make it easier to remove the skin. Chop tomatoes.
Peel the garlic cloves and mash them with some salt into a paste. Add cilantro and pound or blend into the paste. Mix this with with the tomatoes and pound or blend thoroughly into a paste.
Combine all the fried vegetables in a pot over medium low heat. Stir and add the tomato mixture, along with shredded basil and parsley, salt, pepper, and spices.
Cook the dish for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool for half an hour.