Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Mom's Eggplant and Potato Curry



Giving credit to whom it's fairly due.. Thanks mom :)
If you roast the potatoes and eggplant in the oven until they're soft, it gives the whole dish a smoky flavor. For a faster cooking time, I suggest cooking the eggplant and potato in the microwave until softened.. then add it into the curry.
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
  • 3-4 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 8 oz cans sodium free tomato sauce (you can also add a chopped tomato)
  • 1.5 teaspoon crushed cinnamon/clove mixture
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala (split them up)
  • 1.5 teaspoon bhengan bharta masala (eggplant spice mix)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 eggplant - cut in big chunks. Slit each piece.
  • 5-6 small potatoes - cut in big chunks. Slit each piece.
  • Chopped cilantro

1. Prepare the eggplant and potatoes by cutting them up and placing them in a microwavable dish with a few teaspoons of water. Cook in microwave with some salt until the potatoes are tender.

2. Heat cumin seeds in olive oil. Once seeds are toasted, add onion and garlic for around 15 minutes (until the onion is nice and brown). Add the cinnamon/clove mixture in the last couple of minutes as the onions finish browning.

3. Add tomato sauce and tomato. Add pepper, cardamom, 1 tsp of garam masala, salt. Simmer on low for around 15 minutes. Add water as needed to get the gravy consistency you like.

4. Once the eggplant and potatoes are done cooking, drain them and add into the curry. Mix well and add water and salt as needed. Add the remaining garam masala as well as the bhengan bharta mix. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.

5. Top with fresh cilantro.

I serve this with roti, tumeric fried rice and yogurt. The tomato sauce gives it a nice tang, while the cinnamon/clove mixture give a noticeable bite. I never measure with the spices, so just add whatever you like to get the flavor you like. Cutting the slits into the vegetables not only helps soak up more curry in each piece, it also helps cook them faster.

Stay tuned for the simplest tumeric fried rice recipe :)

Enjoy!