Hearty Eggplant Curry Recipe
Cubed eggplant in a spiced sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 6 tbsp sunflower/vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion
- 8 oz tomato sauce (or 2-3 small finely chopped tomatoes)
- 1 large eggplant Around 8 inches in width
- 2 tsp ginger and garlic paste (or finely chopped ginger and garlic)
- 1½ tsp chilly powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- *salt to taste
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the eggplant, cut into bitesize cubes and set aside in a bowl.
- Finely chop the onion and green chillies (along with the tomatoes, ginger and garlic if you opt to use fresh ingredients)
- Heat up 4 tbsp of oil in a shallow frying pan on medium/high heat.
- Carefully add the cubed eggplant and fry for around 2-3 minutes or until tender. The eggplant will absorb a lot of the oil so feel free to add more if you like.
- Once the eggplant is cooked, remove from the pan and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- In the same pan, add 2 tbsp of oil (if needed since the amount of oil left from frying the eggplant may be enough if you added more).
- Add in the cumin seeds to the hot oil and wait until you see them sizzling.
- Now add in the onions and sauté until they are lightly browned (5-7 minutes on medium/high)
- Once the onions are lightly browned, add in the ginger and garlic and green chillies. Fry for another minute or until the raw ginger smell evaporates.
- Pour in the tomato sauce (or chopped tomatoes) and stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low and add in the spices (chilly, turmeric, coriander, garam masala powders) and salt to taste.
- Turn the heat back up to high and stir the mixture for 1-2 minutes to cook off the spices.
- Now add the water and carefully incorporate with the mixture.
- Lower the heat and add the cooked eggplant. Stir in and cover with a lid. You want a thicker consistency but if you do happen to add more water, just leave to simmer for longer.
- After 10 minutes, remove the lid and check to see if the curry is of a thick enough consistency. There shouldn't be any residual liquid in the pan.
- The curry is done! Serve with toasted buns, flatbread or white rice.