Vegetable Stew with Eggplant (Ajapsandali)

Wash and dry the eggplants, then cut them into large cubes. Salt generously and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and squeeze out the excess moisture.

Heat 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the eggplant until cooked through, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer to a colander and let the excess oil drain off.

Peel the onion and carrot, remove the cores from the peppers. Dice the onion finely, slice the peppers into strips, and grate the carrot on a box grater.

Score the tomatoes with an X, pour boiling water over them for a couple of minutes, then shock in ice-cold water. Peel off the skins and chop into chunks. Place in a bowl.

Heat the remaining oil in a sauté pan and cook the onion for 8 minutes, then add the carrot and peppers. Cook gently over medium-low heat, stirring, for 10 minutes.

Transfer the drained eggplant to a pot and add the vegetable mixture from the sauté pan.

Peel the garlic and remove the seeds from the hot pepper. Mince both very finely. Rinse the herbs and chop them up.

Add the garlic, hot pepper, herbs, spices, salt, and bay leaf to the tomato mixture. Stir well, then pour everything into the pot with the cooked vegetables and mix.

Place the pot over low heat and simmer everything together for about 10 minutes.