Michaela's Aubergines in the pickling style

Ingredients

800g or thereabouts, aubergines
1 inch piece of ginger, very finely grated and mixed with.....
6 cloves garlic, very finely grated, or put ginger/garlic in processor
2 oz water, (or 60ml )
vegetable oil
1 tsp whole fennel seeds (venkel)
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
350 g. peeled chopped tomatoes (or use a tin)
1 tbsp. ground coriander (I roast and grind whole spices in a coffee grinder)
half tsp. turmeric
half tsp. sambal
1 tsp. salt

Method

 I usually make quite a lot at once as the recipe is fairly long and I don't like frying aubergines .It freezes well, you can freeze the aubergines and sauce separately or combined.
To start with I usually slice and salt the aubergines. Just sprinkle the slices with salt, leave them for about an hour then rinse them.This pulls out the bitter juices.
If they're really fresh you don't need to do this but most have been stored in cold storage for months.
Jim grows ours (smug face)
Anyway dry them off otherwise they'll spit at you, and then heat a layer of oil, about 4 fl. oz in a pan.
Add a single layer of aubergine and let them cook, pressing down a bit with a flat spatula as they just suck up al the oil.
Turn them over, cook the underside.
Repeat with all the slices adding more oil when neccessary. Let them drain on kitchen paper.
Put 3 tbsp. oil into another pan and heat.
Add  fennel and cumin seeds then after a few seconds put in the tomatoes, ginger/garlic, coriander,!
 turmeric, sambal and salt.
Stir and cook over a medium heat until it gets thicker.

You can now add the aubergine, mix them in gently and heat for about 5 minutes.
When you serve, use a slotted spoon as there will be oil in the bottom of the pan.
It's better made the day before.
You can also serve it cold.