Another Eggplant Curry

Whenever I crave for something spicy, I think of eggplant. My mother always made it very spicy (see Baby Eggplant Cooked in South Indian Style). I do tend to cook eggplant often. It goes well with rice and with roti or other Indian bread. I am also constantly looking for new and innovative ways to cook it (see Sri Lankan Aubergine Curry or Eggplant Curry recipe from my friend Shahna). And this doesn’t even include my mothers recipes for cooking eggplant. I very frequently cook eggplant stand alone with some onion, with potatoes or valo beans, following my mother’s well loved recipes.

As I started to cook my curry, I decided to improvise and make something totally different this time. Here’s how I made it. It was so tasty, I was ready to lick my fingers!

Ingredients:
2 Japanese eggplants cut into 1 in cubes
1 medium onion sliced
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
salt to taste
pinch of turmeric
pinch of asafoetida
cilantro to garnish

Curry Paste:
1/4 cup peanuts
1/8 cup seasame seeds
4 garlic cloves
1 in piece of ginger
1 tsp corrainder seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp poppy seeds
1-2 anise stars
1 tsp cloves
3-4 dry red chilli
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp shredded coconut
1/4-1/2 cup thick tamarind juice

Lightly roast peanuts and sesame seeds on the stove till lightly brown. Transfer to a blender, and add the rest of the curry paste ingredients and blend to a thick paste. Set aside.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a large pan. Add turmeric and asafoetida. Add onions and eggplants and saute till lightly brown. Mixing as needed to prevent sticking. Add the curry paste (all or as much as you like) and 1-2 cups water and continue simmering for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with some cilantro and serve warm with some basmati rice or roti.

If like me you did not end up using all the curry paste, freeze or refrigerate it! I am going to soon post another recipe where you can use your excess curry paste. Stay turned.