South Indian Eggplant Curry Baked Recipes

EGGPLANT CURRY - SOUTH INDIAN BRINJAL CURRY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan). Line tray with parchment/baking paper.
• Cut eggplant into 2cm / 4/5" slices, then cut into 2cm / 4/5" batons.
• Place in large bowl, toss with oil, salt and pepper.
• Spread on tray, roast 20 minutes. Turn, roast for a further 10 minutes - edges should be caramelised, soft inside, but they're not shrivelled up and dismal. Use per recipe.
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, let them sizzle for 15 seconds.
• Add curry leaves, stir, leave to sizzle for 15 seconds - seeds might pop, Indian cooking is very dramatic!
• Add onions, cook 5 minutes until golden brown.
• Add tomato, cook for 1 minute, stirring.
• Add garlic and ginger, cook 2 minutes.
• Add Curry Spices and salt, and cook for another 3 minutes - it will be a thick paste and might stick to the bottom of the pot, don't let it burn (if it starts to, remove from stove and quickly add splash of water to loosen).
• Stir in water, and then add the eggplant.
• Gently stir, partially cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Stir carefully once or twice (so the eggplants don't break up completely), add more water if it dries out.
• Stir in coconut milk, taste then add more salt if needed.
• Your result should be a very thick, juicy, strongly flavoured curry with eggplant partially intact but half collapsed.
• Serve with basmati rice and a dollop of yogurt and fresh coriander leaves, if you want.

SOUTH INDIAN EGGPLANT CURRY BAKED RECIPE

Steps:

• Bake the eggplant: To a 9x11 inch or similar sized baking dish, add the oil and add all of the spices and salt and mix well.
• If the spices are getting too clumped up, add splashes of some water or few teaspoons of water so that the mixture is like a thin spice paste.
• Then add eggplants, onion, garlic, and ginger and toss really well to coat. Eggplants will shrink a lot so you need a dish where they are about doubled up in layer.
• Then bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius ) for 25-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the tempering with mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds: Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and cook until the seeds start to pop or change color. Then add the curry leaves and immediately take off heat. Be careful while adding the curry leaves because they will pop and splash a little bit. Keep this tempering aside.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven then add the tomato sauce, coconut milk, lentils, salt, and mix in. Add the tempering and mix lightly.
• Then return the dish to the oven. Cover with a parchment and continue to bake for 25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked to preference and the sauce has thickened.
• If the sauce has thickened too much, you can gradually add in about 1/2 cup of warm non-dairy milk and mix in. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt, spices if needed then mix in.
• Remove the dish from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes. Then garnish with cilantro the lemon juice and serve with rice or flatbread or dosa, or serve with garlic bread as bowl of soup.
• To make this into a soup, you can add in a little bit more non-dairy milk while the curry is still hot so that it gets a bit soupier and then serve with garlic bread.

BRINJAL (EGGPLANT) CURRY

Steps:

• Cut the eggplants into 1-inch pieces- preferably keeping at least one side of each piece with the skin on.
• Put the eggplant pieces into a strainer and sprinkle liberally with salt. Place a small plate on top of the eggplant, and a weight on top of the plate- this process draws the excess water out of the eggplant, and it won't be overly salty. Leave for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a heavy pan. When hot, add mustard seeds- they will start to pop in a few seconds. When they begin to pop, add the sliced onions, garlic and ginger. Turn the heat to medium, and cook until mixture is nicely browned.
• Add cayenne pepper, tumeric, garam masala and cumin to the onion mixture. Cook spices for a few minutes, then add water and tomato paste, and reduce heat to low. Let the sauce cook gently, but don't allow it to become dry.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil over moderate heat. Add eggplant pieces to the pan, and arrange in a single layer. Saute until all sides are brown and crisp.
• Once all eggplant pieces are browned, incorporate them into the sauce pan, making sure to cover all pieces with the sauce. Add lemon juice and salt.
• Cook gently until eggplant is cooked through (about 15-20 minutes). Stir occasionally (and very gently) and serve.

SOUTH INDIAN EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) CURRY

Steps:

• In a cast iron or other heavy skillet, roast coconut powder, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and cumin seeds over low heat until light brown.
• Remove from pan to stop the cooking and cool.
• Put this coconut mixture in a food processor and process until it's grainy, reserve in a dish.
• Grind the roasted channa dal in a spice grinder until it is a fine powder and add to the coconut mixture.
• In a food processor, process the peanuts until they are coarsely ground.
• Wash and stem the eggplants.
• Cut each eggplant 2/3 into the wide end up to the stem - making an "X" - leave the stem end intact.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet and cook the eggplants on low until soft.
• In a separate pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil to medium hot.
• Add the 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds to the hot oil.
• In a matter of seconds they will begin to pop - add the onions and stir.
• When the onions are beginning to brown, add the ginger garlic paste and the turmeric, cumin, coriander powder, chili powder and salt.
• Stir the spices into the onion then add the tomatoes.
• Stir in the tomatoes then add the coconut mixture along with the peanuts.
• Add the eggplants and 1 cup of the water.
• Stir and cook over low heat, covered for about 20 minutes.
• Add water a little at a time to maintain a nice smooth consistency.
• Add garam masala and 2 1/2 tablespoons of the chopped fresh coriander - stir.
• Check to see that it is salted to your taste.
• Put in a serving dish and garnish with the remaining chopped coriander.

SOUTH INDIAN EGGPLANT CURRY

Steps:

• In a small glass bowl, mix together oil, chickpea flour, turmeric and asafetida. In the microwave on high-power cook for 90 seconds, stopping to stir halfway through. In another bowl, heat coconut on high for 90 seconds, stirring halfway through. Add coconut, ginger, salt and tamarind to chickpea mixture.
• Rinse and dry eggplant, trim off ends then cut into 1-inch slices. Score one side of each slice in several places. Spread and press spice mixture into gashes; then put eggplant into a microwave-safe dish. Partially cover (waxed paper works) and heat on high for 6 minutes. Uncover and cook on high for 2 or 3 minutes, until very soft. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot or warm.
• Note: * Can use frozen shredded coconut, which is available at Indian grocery stores. If you can't find this, you can use sweetened shredded coconut - soak it in hot water for a few minutes (to remove the excess sugar) then drain well.

SOUTH INDIAN EGGPLANT CURRY

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix oil, chickpea flour, turmeric and asafetida. Heat on high in microwave for 90 seconds, stopping to stir halfway through. In another bowl, heat coconut on high for 90 seconds, stirring halfway through. Add coconut, ginger, salt and tamarind to chickpea mixture.
• Rinse and dry eggplant, trim off ends, and cut into 1-inch slices. Score one side of each slice in several places. Spread and press spice mixture into gashes, then put eggplant into a dish. Partly cover (waxed paper works) and heat on high for 6 minutes. Uncover and cook on high for 2 or 3 minutes, until very soft. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot or warm.