Brinjal, or eggplant, is a core vegetable used in Indian cuisine. A quick and comforting curry for this horrible midterm season.
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serving Size: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 medium yellow onion
- 2 medium tomato
- 1 green chili
- 10-15 small eggplants (sold in the Indian store, they’re 2-3 inches tall)
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seed
- Sprig of curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of garam masala
- ⅛ teaspoon of turmeric
- Salt to taste
- Optional:
- ¼ cup of coconut milk
- Coriander leaves
Instructions:
Chop yellow onions, tomatoes and green chili. Wash and chop eggplants into cubes. Put the eggplant into a bowl of water with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
To make the masala, heat up your oil in a pot. Add your mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they start popping like no tomorrow, add a few curry leaves and fry for a minute or two. Add the previously chopped onions and green chili and stir until the onions become golden or transparent.
To the masala add your ginger garlic paste. As the aroma develops, add into the mixture the tomatoes and sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of salt, cook with a cover on top until the tomatoes become mushy.
Add paprika, garam masala and turmeric. Be careful to adjust for your own spice tolerance, as my measurements are apparently hellish. Keep saute-ing until the smell of raw chili powder dissipates.
Take the brinjal cubes that were immersed in the water and add to the pot, saute them over a medium heat and pour half a cup of water. Mix and cook over a low flame until the brinjal is cooked. You’ll know it’s cooked when the skin of the vegetable begins to wrinkle, similar to how your hands do when you shower.
Taste and add more salt if needed. Some choose to add coconut milk, others don’t, so up to personal preference. Once the brinjal curry is completed, sprinkle coriander leaves on top and serve with a roti.
