Boil Brinjal whole in a pressure cooker or you may roast on the flame. Cool and peel the skin. Soak tamrind in two cups of water for 10 minutes and squeeze out the juice. Heat oil in a frying pan and add mustard seeds. When it bursts add red chillis and asafoetida. Mix the cooked Brinjal in the tamrind extract and add it to the frying pan. Heat until well cooked. Do not allow the liquid to become very thick. It should be a watery liquid. This goes very well with pongal and rice upma.