Dahi baigana

Dahi baigana is a dish of the Odia people made from dahi, which is yogurt, and eggplant. It is prepared especially during festivals, and at auspicious festivals where onion and garlic are not allowed it can be made without them. Apart from eggplant and yogurt, a cook may use vegetable oil or ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, dried chilli, curry leaves, ginger, green chilli, salt and sugar. A variation of the dish is found in Kashmiri cuisine, where the version adds a spice paste and a good deal of chilli powder, so that the finished dish looks somewhat golden rather than yellowish white.