Take 500 gram of whole brinjals (small size) and 3 pieces of potatoes (medium size) and wash them. Peel the potatoes. Keep them all on a plate.

Cut the brinjals in half and then into three pieces leaving a bit of stalk in them as shown. Also, cut the potatoes in the same way (first in half and then into three pieces) but in smaller or thinner slices. (Pro tip: The size of the brinjal slices should be larger than potato slices as they get cooked quicker than potatoes. Leaving a portion of the stalk gives a nice look to the dish and does not affect its taste. After cutting the potatoes and brinjals, put them both in water immediately or else they will quickly turn black in color and affect the look and color of the final dish).

Now, take 1 piece of ginger (3-inch size, peeled, diced into small pieces) and about 18 cloves of deskinned garlic in a mortar and pestle. Grind them coarsely. (Pro tip: Coarsely ground ginger and garlic enhances the taste further in each bite. For further taste and flavor enhancement, you can also add 2 pieces of crushed green chilies to it at this stage).

Take a deep-bottom pan or kadai and heat 3 tbsp of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, put the sliced potatoes. Stir them continuously. Flip them individually as well.

Fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes until they turn slightly golden in color. Check the doneness. Strain the oil and remove the fried potatoes from the pan. Keep the fried potatoes on a plate aside.

Now, put the brinjals slices in the same oil. Fry them for 2 to 3 minutes until you notice the brinjal slices have started to change their color as shown in the image below.

Remove them carefully without breaking or spoiling the shape. Keep the fried brinjal slices in a separate plate aside.

Now, heat 3 tbsp of cooking oil in the kadai again and put 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 piece of black cardamom, 2 pieces of bay leaves, and 1 piece of cinnamon (inch size stick). Fry them for 30 seconds. When you smell the aroma of the fried spices, add the crushed garlic and ginger in it. Fry them for a minute. Then add 2 pieces of green chilies (each broken in half). Again, fry it for about half a minute.

Now, add 2 pieces of onion (large size, finely sliced) to it. Mix and fry the onion on a medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes until they turn soft and translucent, as shown in the figure below.

Then, add 1 piece of tomato (large, finely chopped). (Pro tip: Using more onions and tomato enhances the taste of the aloo baingan curry significantly).

Mix, cover, and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes.

After 3 to 4 minutes, remove the cover. By now, the tomatoes will have turned soft and mushy. Now, add the remaining spices to it like 1 tsp of turmeric powder, 2 tsp of red chili powder, 2 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 1 tsp of garam masala powder, and salt to taste. (Pro tip: You can add only 1 tsp of red chili powder if you want. Also, you can add little bit of salt here and then the remaining in the end after tasting the aloo baingan curry).

Mix and cover it to let the spices cook nicely for about 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame. After 4 minutes, remove the cover and check the spices. The oil should start separating by now, and the tomatoes, onions and spices will have blended perfectly.

Now, add the fried potatoes and brinjal slices.

Mix them nicely with the spices. Cover the pan and let it cook on a medium flame for about 15 minutes. (Pro tip: You can remove the lid and stir them a couple of times in between to ensure these are not burnt or do not stick to the bottom of the kadai).

Check the potatoes after 15 minutes. They should be soft and done perfectly by now. You can keep the sabzi dry or add ¼ cup of water at this stage for slight gravy. Cover and cook it further for 2 to 3 minutes on a low to medium flame. (Pro tip: If you want more gravy in your sabzi, you can add a cup full of water to it).

After 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, give it a final mix.

Transfer it to a serving bowl. Your tasty, spicy homemade aloo baingan curry is now ready to enjoy.