429. Eggplant curry x 2
This curry can be made vegan, simply by using olive oil in the curry and millet. Any leftovers will happily store in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days. I left chilli out of this so my kids would eat it, however 1 long red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped would be lovely in here. Just add it along with the garlic and ginger.
Serves around 3-4, as part of a larger meal. It's easily doubled to feed a crowd.
1 large eggplant (aubergine)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
a good pinch ground cinnamon
3 large tomatoes, cores removed and finely diced
2-4 tablespoons water
the juice of 1/2 lemon
coriander (cilantro) leave, to serve
1 cup (210g) hulled millet
butter, ghee or extra virgin olive oil
Chop the top off the eggplant, then dice into 1cm pieces. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle over the salt and then mix well to evenly distribute. Set aside for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile get all the ingredients ready for the curry (chopping garlic, grating ginger etc).
Place a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a splash of olive oil or a little ghee then add the millet. Cook, stirring often for a minute or so, until toasty smelling. Remove from the heat and carefully add 2 cups cold water (it will splutter a little so be careful). Return to the heat, add a good pinch of sea salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes before fluffing it up with a fork. Add a good knob of butter/ghee/splash of extra virgin olive oil and set aside with the lid on until needed.
Squeeze as much liquid from the eggplant as you can (discard liquid). Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil/ghee, then the eggplant. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often until golden and tender. Add the garlic and ginger and cook whilst stirring for 30 seconds, add the spices and cook 20 seconds or so until fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes and a touch of water (just enough to stop the base from catching and burning). Reduce the heat and partially cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10-12 minutes until the tomatoes have collapsed and formed a lovely thick sauce and the eggplant is meltingly soft. Taste and adjust seasoning and add lemon juice. Serve curry with buttered millet, scattered with coriander (cilantro) leaves.
eggplant curry recipe
As mentioned above, like most curries this recipe keeps well, and actually improves with time. If you have leftovers simply reheat the next day, re-check seasoning, adding more salt if needed and serve on freshly steamed rice. I like to use ghee (see recipe below) in curries for the authentic flavour it gives. It is lactose-free, but if you avoid dairy altogether simply use a neutral vegetable oil like rice bran oil. I like to use whole cumin seeds, but by all means use ground cumin if that's what you have. Make sure you use regular brown onions in this recipe, red onions have a higher sugar content and tend to burn too easily in curries like this, where long, slow cooking is required. Serves 4-6
Wash eggplants and dice into 2 cm cubes.
Heat ghee/oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until a deep golden brown colour. (Be patient and don't be tempted to rush this stage).
Add the grated ginger, crushed garlic, fennel and cumin seeds. Cook for about 2 minutes until garlic and ginger are fragrant. Add ground coriander, turmeric, cayenne/chilli powder and salt. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the diced eggplant and stir well to coat evenly with spices. Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes, give it a big stir, then place the lid on and continue to cook over low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Check and stir a few times to ensure it's not catching on the bottom. Turn temperature down a little if need be.
When the sauce has thickened and the eggplant is meltingly soft, check the seasoning once more. Serve sprinkled with coriander/cilantro leaves and steamed rice. Enjoy!
As mentioned above, like most curries this recipe keeps well, and actually improves with time. If you have leftovers simply reheat the next day, re-check seasoning, adding more salt if needed and serve on freshly steamed rice. I like to use ghee (see recipe below) in curries for the authentic flavour it gives. It is lactose-free, but if you avoid dairy altogether simply use a neutral vegetable oil like rice bran oil. I like to use whole cumin seeds, but by all means use ground cumin if that's what you have. Make sure you use regular brown onions in this recipe, red onions have a higher sugar content and tend to burn too easily in curries like this, where long, slow cooking is required. Serves 4-6
- 2 medium (800g/1lb 12oz) eggplants (aubergine)
- 3 Tbsp ghee/vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2.5cm (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds/ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cayenne or a small pinch of chilli powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 400g tin (14oz) chopped tomatoes
- a small handful of fresh coriander/cilantro leaves to garnish (optional)
Wash eggplants and dice into 2 cm cubes.
Heat ghee/oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until a deep golden brown colour. (Be patient and don't be tempted to rush this stage).
Add the grated ginger, crushed garlic, fennel and cumin seeds. Cook for about 2 minutes until garlic and ginger are fragrant. Add ground coriander, turmeric, cayenne/chilli powder and salt. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the diced eggplant and stir well to coat evenly with spices. Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes, give it a big stir, then place the lid on and continue to cook over low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Check and stir a few times to ensure it's not catching on the bottom. Turn temperature down a little if need be.
When the sauce has thickened and the eggplant is meltingly soft, check the seasoning once more. Serve sprinkled with coriander/cilantro leaves and steamed rice. Enjoy!
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