Eggplant curry

This is a simple curry that success is underpinned by you cooking your eggplant properly. To cook eggplant properly you need plenty of oil so make it a good oil. You need to brown the eggplant well and then drain it on paper towel. Like most curries it tastes way better the next day when all the spices have had a chance to get to know each other. Im pretty sure this one will become a favourite.

 

2 eggplants, cut into large bite size pieces

1 tablespoon salt

80ml rice bran oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

3 cloves garlic

1 green chilli, halved, take the seeds out if you don’t like it too spicy

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garam marsala

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2-1 cup water, depending how thick you like your curry

salt, to taste

1. Place the eggplant (aubergine) in a colander over a bowl, sprinkle with salt and allow to stand for 30 minutes. If you are in a rush you can skip this but you will probably find you need more oil.
2. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and pat dry with paper towel.
3. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan, cook the eggplant in batches over a medium high heat for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
4. Add a little more oil to the pan if there is none left, add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 1o minutes or until golden.
5. Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and spices and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in the eggplant, tomato paste and 1/2 cup water and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until the oil starts to separate from the sauce. Serve with rice.

Serves 4