Indian Eggplant Curry with Toasted Peanuts

17 Aug Indian Eggplant Curry with Toasted Peanuts

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I’m sure there’s a fancy name for this curry, but my mom calls it eggplant curry, so I’m just going to stick with that. Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables because it’s so versatile, and satisfying. It works in so many different cuisines, like eggplant parm, baba ghanoush, countless Asian dishes, and so much more. I love it so much that I judge all Italian restaurants based on how good their eggplant parm is, and if it’s not even on the menu, then I’m not even going to bother to go… Eggplant on its own is a little bland, but the beauty of it is that it takes on the flavor of other ingredients, which is why its perfect for the bold and rich flavors of Indian cooking. This is one of my favorite curries that my mom made often.

Gather your ingredients and preheat your oven.

This is a bit of a unique Indian dish as it starts out cooking on the stovetop but also gets put in the oven. So start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop up your onions, tomatoes, and green chili peppers. Cube the eggplant into bite-size pieces. You’ll want to keep some ginger handy, and you’ll end up slicing some green onions to add at the very end. With this curry, you’ll end up using urad dal in the tadka (mustard seeds in oil) to bring a little more protein to your dish. You’ll also want to keep garlic powder, chili powder, cumin and turmeric handy.

Start building flavor

Make sure to use a cast iron skillet or something that you can transfer from your stovetop to your oven. First, create the tadka by heating up mustard seeds in oil. When you hear them pop, add a couple pinches of urad dal and stir together. Then you’ll add your chopped chilis and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Then you’ll add your eggplant and all your spices (garlic powder, chili powder, turmeric, salt and cumin). Cook eggplant down for 5-10 minutes and then add your chopped tomatoes. Fresh ingredients are always best so if you’ve got tomatoes in your garden, use them. After a few minutes of cooking all these ingredients together, transfer your skillet to the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

Prepare the peanuts

For added richness and flavor, peanuts are a great addition to this dish. While the eggplant is baking in the oven, toast some unsalted peanuts over low heat, and then chop or mash them in a mortar and pestle. When your eggplant is done cooking in the oven, remove, and squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the mix and stir together. Then lightly incorporate the crumbled peanuts into the mixture and it’s ready to serve! This curry is great with just a simple side of rice or maybe with chapati.

Recipe

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
– 1/2 eggplant cubed
– Tomatoes (1 plum and a handful of yellow gold cherry tomatoes)
– 1/2 yellow onion
– Unsalted peanuts
– 2 Thai chili peppers
– Ginger
– Garlic Powder
– Cumin
– Chili Powder
– Turmeric
– Salt
– Olive oil
– Urad dal
– Mustard seeds
– 1/2 lemon
– Green onions for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a cast iron skillet, heat up oil, then add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start popping, add urad dal and stir. Zest ginger into the oil mix, and then add chopped onions and chili peppers and cook 5 min or until onions are translucent.
3. Add chopped eggplant to skillet and stir. Add garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt and turmeric to mix and continue stirring.
4. After 5-10 minutes, incorporate chopped tomatoes to eggplant mixture and mix together.
5. After a few minutes, move skillet into the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
6. While eggplant and tomato mix is baking, toast up some peanuts and then chop them or mash them with a mortar and pestle.
7. Take skillet out of the oven and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top and mix.
8. Incorporate peanuts into eggplant and tomato mixture. Then serve with a side of rice or chapati, and enjoy!