Take the eggplants and leave the stems intact. Start from bottom of each eggplant and slit in the center till just above the stem. Cut it so that it does not split into 2 pieces. Now turn the eggplant 90 degree and add another slit from the center. Eggplant should be cut in 4 but still held on by the stem.
Optionally mix a teaspoon of oil in the spices. With a knife or small spoon, fill spices into each slit of the eggplants.
Place eggplants in a single layer in the Air Fryer. Brush oil on each eggplant. Turn around and brush oil on the other side.
Start the air fryer at 360°F for 8-12 minutes. Color will be changed when they are cooked. Check at 8 minutes, and cook for additional time as needed. You can turn them around at about 6 minutes, but it is not necessary.
Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Notes
Do not skip dry mango/amchur powder as it adds the tanginess to the eggplants. You could potentially replace with lemon powder, however I have not tried it.
Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the eggplants.
I used medium sized eggplants, which took 12 minutes to cook.
For small eggplants, cook about 8 minutes.
For larger one's, about 14 minutes.
Stuffing Variations:
North Indian: Saute finely chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic in some oil. Add the spices, and get it to a thick paste like texture.
In Maharashtra, it is called Bharli Vangi. Saute onions, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, spices in oil. Add dessicated coconut and some jaggery powder.
In Andra, this is called Gutti Vankaya. Saute onions, ginger, garlic in oil. Add spices, dessicated coconut, ground peanuts and some jaggery powder.