eggplant chana masala

There is nothing like a nice, richly, spiced bowl of Indian food on a cold day. This recipe came almost directly from the vegan cookbook called Crave, Eat, Heal.

1 large eggplant
1 tsp sea salt
1 TB coconut oil, optional,
2 small onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. tumeric
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garam masala
2 cups diced tomatoes ( I used a 28 oz can)
1 cup water
1 large can chickpeas, drained

Wash the eggplant. Cut off top and bottom then chop the eggplant into  1 inch pieces. Place in bowl and sprinkle with salt.
In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, saute the onion in oil or vegetable broth (I used vegetable broth) till they are translucent. Add garlic, ginger, and eggplant. Cook, stirring often for ten minutes.
Add cumin, turmeric, paprika, and garam masala. Mix well to thoroughly coat the eggplant. Stir in the tomatoes water, and chickpeas. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. (the recipe says to put in lemon juice and cilantro, but since I do not like cilantro I omitted that.)