Griddle-Cooked Eggplant with a Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

This room-temperature curry reflects the cooking of Persia and the Middle East, thanks to the influence of the ruling Moghuls in northern India, where the combination of yogurt and eggplant is as natural as strawberries dipped in chocolate (okay, that’s not natural—but it should be, don’t you think?). This version is more reflective of cooking the Hyderabadi way, using southern Indian curry leaves and northern Indian mint, made fiery hot with potent chiles.