Egg plant in Sweet & Sour sauce with Til Papad

To prepare the Spicy Til Papad, dry roast the sesame seeds in a heavy bottomed pan. Keep it aside.

In the same pan, add sugar without any water, and stir continuously on a medium to low heat until it turns to a syrup form.

When the syrup turns into a light gold color, pour one drop from this liquid into a bowl of cold water. If it forms a ball then your liquid is ready. If it spreads, then cook it some more and try again.

Once ready, remove the pan from the flame and stir in the roasted sesame seeds and chilli flakes. Mix it well.

Return the pan to the stove and cook on a really low heat for 1-2 minutes. (This will give the papad a nice dark color. Be careful to not let it burn.)

Grease a clean surface of your kitchen and a rolling pin with ghee/oil. Take half of the mixture, roll it out in a thin a layer as you can manage. Be quick because this mixture cools extremely fast, once it cools down you will not be able to get it to roll anymore.

While it's still warm, sprinkle half the sea salt crystals over. Once done, place it on a butter paper and keep it aside. Quickly repeat this procedure with the other half of the mixture.

Store this til papad in an airtight container and use as required.

To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a deep pan. Add in the garlic and saute for a minute. Then add in the chopped tomatoes and fry for another minute.

Next, add in the red chilli powder and fry for 20 seconds, then add the ketchup, vinegar and soy sauce. Simmer it for a minute.

Once the oil separates and rises to the top, add the sugar, salt and 1/3rd cup of water. Stir it well to combine. Turn up the heat and let it come to a boil.

Place the cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk in 2 tbsp water till it's well combined. Pour this into the sauce and stir to mix well. Cook for 5-10 minutes till it thickens.

Check the seasoning and adjust as required. Keep it warm on a low flame for later.

For the Eggplant, rub the eggplant slices with salt and red chilli powder.

Coat each eggplant slice in breadcrumbs and deep fry till they are golden and crisp. Then remove and place on an absorbent paper.

Serve the eggplant immediately with a drizzle of the hot and sour sauce. Also break the tiny papad into small bits and scatter on top.