This Sri Lankan eggplant curry has slices of tender, caramelized eggplant simmered in a creamy coconut milk curry sauce. Broiling or air-frying the eggplant before adding it to the curry makes it soft and silky without deep-frying.
The curry is ready in 35 minutes and it's soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. Serve it with rice or roti for a delicious, wholesome dinner.
Table of Contents
What is Sri Lankan eggplant curry?
This Sri Lankan eggplant curry features tender, silky eggplant slices in a creamy coconut curry flavored with spices commonly used in Sri Lankan and Indian cuisine. What makes this curry unique is the combination of spicy-nutty mustard seeds and sweet fennel seeds, which add delicious flavor that's quite distinct from tomato-based Indian eggplant curries and Thai-style eggplant curries made with curry paste.
I love eggplants and I've made this curry countless times since I first found it in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian cookbook many, many years ago. It's perfect for those times when I need a nourishing, wholesome meal in a hurry. I make it in summer, when eggplants are abundant and seasonal, and in winter, when nothing screams comfort like a bowl of hot rice with curry.
5-star review
I really enjoyed this dish. Very flavorful and unique with the combination of spices, yet super quick to make on a week night.
-Sina
Why you will love this Sri Lankan eggplant curry
- Rich, creamy and so flavorful. The tender eggplant soaks up the spicy coconut curry sauce.
- Perfectly cooked eggplant. Some people hate eggplant because it's often served undercooked and tastes bitter with a spongy, unpleasant mouthfeel. Broiling or air-frying the eggplant first and then simmering it in the curry ensures the eggplant is slightly caramelized, which adds more flavor, and is also thoroughly cooked and melt-in-the-mouth tender.
- No deep-frying needed. Some traditional eggplant curry recipes ask you to deep-fry the eggplant, which adds unnecessary calories. This recipe uses a very small amount of oil but you still get the silky texture and all the flavor.
- Weeknight-friendly. This simple recipe is ready in 35 minutes and the ingredient list is quite short. You need just a couple of minutes to blend the spices but this step adds so much freshness and aroma to the curry.
- Adjust to your taste. You can tweak the amount of cayenne or red chilli powder in the recipe so it is as mild or spicy as you want it to be.
- Suitable for most diets. The eggplant curry is vegan, soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free.
How to make Sri Lankan eggplant curry
Make the spice blend
- Place coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and mustard seeds in a spice grinder or blender and blend into a powder.
Prep eggplants
- Slice the eggplant into wedges, about two inches long and half an inch thick. Soak the slices in a bowl of salted water.
- Toss the eggplant with salt, ground black pepper and a tablespoon of oil. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil for four minutes. Turn over the eggplant slices and broil for 3-4 more minutes. You can also air-fry the eggplant at 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees Celsius for 10-12 minutes, shaking the air-fryer basket a couple of times during cooking, until they are caramelized at the edges and tender.
- Toss the eggplant slices with turmeric, cayenne or paprika, the blended spice mix and lemon juice and set aside.
Make the coconut sauce
- Heat a tablespoon of oil and add the sliced onions and curry leaves along with a bit of salt. Sauté until the onions turn soft and begin to brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the eggplants and half the coconut milk. Mix, cover, and let the eggplants simmer in the coconut milk for five more minutes.
- Add the remaining coconut milk and add more salt if needed. Turn off the heat as soon as the curry has warmed through but hasn't boiled yet. This keeps the coconut milk from separating. Garnish the curry with cilantro and serve hot.
My top tip
Immerse eggplant slices in a bowl of salted water until you are ready to cook. This helps draw out some of the bitterness of the eggplant and it also keeps the eggplant from discoloring.
More eggplant recipes
- Baingan masala
- Baingan bharta
- Bagara baingan
- Stuffed eggplant (bharli vangi)
- Vegan dahi baingan (eggplant in yogurt curry sauce)
Recipe card
Sri Lankan Eggplant Curry
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (about 1 ½ pounds. Use Italian or globe eggplants, or 8 small Indian round eggplants, or 3-4 Japanese eggplants. Cut the eggplant into slices that are two inches long and ½ inch thick)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral oil (divided)
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (or paprika)
- Juice of ½ lime or lemon
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk (13.5 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
Prep the eggplant
- Place the mustard, coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a spice grinder or blender and blend into a powder.
- Toss the eggplant slices with salt, pepper and a tablespoon of oil. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer, then broil for four minutes until the slices are beginning to caramelize on top. Flip over and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. You can also air-fry the eggplant slices for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees F/190 degrees C until they are caramelized and soft inside. Toss a couple of times during air-frying.
- Place the eggplant slices in a bowl, then add the turmeric, lemon juice, cayenne or paprika and powdered spices. Mix well.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and curry leaves and sauté until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelize.
- Add the eggplant and half the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover and let the eggplant cook five minutes.
- Add the remaining coconut milk and add more salt as needed. Turn off the heat when the curry has warmed through and before it comes to a boil.
- Garnish the eggplant curry with cilantro and serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Recipe FAQs
Use any eggplant available to you. I've made this recipe with the large Italian eggplant, small Indian eggplants, green Thai eggplants and long Japanese eggplants. I used the Indian eggplants (pictured below) this time. They are naturally less bitter and more tender than larger varieties of eggplant. You can buy them at Indian and Asian grocery stores.
Japanese and Indian eggplants have tender skins so there's no need to peel them. If you are using a globe eggplant with particularly tough skin you can peel it with a vegetable peeler before slicing.
Yes, arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Turn the slices over once halfway through baking.
Yes. Fresh curry leaves have more flavor but if you can only find dried curry leaves it is okay to use them in this recipe.
Serve with basmati rice or jeera rice. You can also serve it with roti, sourdough roti or palak paratha. If you want more protein in the meal serve a dry bean dish, like chickpea sundal, on the side.
Eggplants that are undercooked can taste bitter, so be sure to soak the eggplants in salted water after cutting them, and make sure they are thoroughly cooked. Adding too much mustard can also cause bitterness so measure mustard seeds correctly.
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days. I don't recommend freezing this curry because freezing will cause the coconut milk to get grainy and separate.
First published in January 2009. Updated and republished August 2026.
Shahrazad says
I cooked it today for the first time and only added some Garam Masala at the end. It was really delicious! Thanks a lot for the recipe! 🌹🙏🏻🌹
Vaishali Honawar says
Awesome!
Maya Menezes says
Hi.... I just had a yummy Srilankan aubergine curry at a restaurant last night and was looking to replicate it at home. Your recipe popped in a Google search and it looks closest to what I ate, so I'm gonna try it real soon. Just one question - doesn't boiling in coconut milk cause it to split? Do let me know. Thanks. Maya
Vaishali says
Hi Maya, that's why you add the other half of the coconut milk later and then just let it warm through without coming to a boil.
Vaishali says
Happy you like it. It’s very creamy so a serving doesn’t have to be a lot!
Sina says
I really enjoyed this dish. Very flavorful and unique with the combination of spices, yet super quick to make on a week night.
Avinash says
Hi Vaishali,
My sister tried this recipe and shared it but I cook better when I see the video..do you have this recipe on video. Thanks
Avinash
Vaishali says
Hi Avinash, unfortunately I don't have a video for this. I'll likely post one when I make it next. Cheers.
Linda says
I haven't tried this yet but it looks delicious. I'm wondering if curry powder can be substituted for a sprig of curry leaves.
Vaishali says
Hi Linda, curry leaves by themselves won't be an adequate substitute, but try using a bit of garam masala if you have it on hand.
Khushi says
Hi
Help pls.
I made this eggplant curry but I found it was a bit bitter. Is it possible that there was too much mustard seeds in it.
Also , I used diluted coconut cream'
Look forward to your reply.
Rakesh says
Same here! And I believe the mustard is the culprit. Powdered raw mustard is more along the lines of a similar Bengali recipe, and that uses curd/yoghurt instead of coconut milk. Here, I would suggest either using oil-fried (sputtered) mustard, or reducing the amount by half or more.
Vaishali says
You can reduce the amount of mustard seeds if you use light or diluted coconut milk. Light coconut milk would give less sweetness to the recipe and wouldn't balance out the mustard. Preferably just use regular coconut milk, which is a better fit for this recipe.
Camille Navarro says
Can the egg plant be baked instead of broil?
Vaishali says
Yes, you can bake it. Cut, rub on the salt, pepper and oil, and then bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Heleroo says
Thank you for your delicious recipe. Our local Indian makes a gorgeous eggplant and pumpkin curry so I added roasted pieces of pumpkin too hoping it would be similar, it wasn’t but was still rather yum. We live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia. Beautiful weather year round. Although we do rain very well in late summer.
Cheers
Vaishali says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! The Sunshine Coast sounds like such a happy place to be in. 🙂
Denise says
Turned out great! I'm still trying to find eggplant recipes that will help me better appreciate this beautiful veg. This is one! Though I'd peel the eggplant next time. Store bought eggplant have tough skins. Local fresh in the summer are better, of course. Had this with curry chickpeas and your lovely simple dosas. Thank you!
Vaishali says
Hi Denise, if you use the Italian eggplant you can discard some of the peel. The smaller or skinnier eggplants, like the little round ones of the long, slim ones, have a thinner skin and would work better here. So happy you enjoyed this curry!
Janani says
looks sooooooooooooooo yummy yummy
Aparna says
This is a most unusual way of cooking eggplant. I'm sure the coconut milk takes it to another level.
We don't have winters here, so its very pleasant here now. I do prefer this season to summers as I have a tough time with the heat!
vegwife says
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
sunshinemom says
I love the way your food embraces the whole world!! Well done and beautiful looking curry! Thank you so much for remembering FIC:)
I love winters too - it reminds me of my North Indian Childhood!! Now we have no freezing winters, just a slight nip in the air late in the evening:(
Meera says
You write so well. I too have same feelings about winter. 🙁
Curry looks delicious.
Madhu says
super colour..combo of coconut milk,fennel and eggplant has to be very flavourful.
Arundhuti says
interesting recipe..i quite like eggplants...will try this sometime..
Cham says
The brinjal curry is different, love the coconut touch !
Gita's Kitchen says
The curry looks delicious, I am planning to make this one for my hubby who is not a great fan of eggplants. I am sure he will like this creamy eggplant curry 🙂
Usha says
Love eggplant and loved the combination of flavors in this curry, looks delicious 🙂
Cassandra says
yummy! I can't wait to try this recipe! Thank you for posting it, and beautiful words about winter, sorry to say I live in Southern CA where my winter peeks at 40 degrees maybe!! Have a wonderful day!
Kitchen Flavours says
Something new to me. Looks gr8.
Happy cook says
Beautiful and delicious curry.
yeah here to it is cold.
Today it is -7°c.
Priya says
This eggplant curry is new to me...delicious they r..
vidhas says
L ove brinjal so much, youe eggplant curry looks selicious. Thanks for dropping by and for your lovely comments.
DJ Karma (of Vegspinz) says
I love eggplant too & just had some for dinner! The vibrant colors of that curry impart warmth...emotionally? Love it! Thanks for the descriptive read!
sowmya says
nice recipe..looks spicy and yummy..
Jan Scholl says
I think I can smell this cooking in my head. I love to cook at 2 AM and I have an eggplant. Hmmmm.
Dibs says
Good idea! grilled brinjal comes to my rescue when I dont know what to make,or dont have time! fennel, coconut milk, kasoori methi ...all yummy ingredients to make a hit!
Mahimaa's kitchen says
eggplant and coconut milk shud make a yummy combo. i have never experienced the cold u r describing as I live in los angeles. even now, i am able to go for walks..i am glad i am here 🙂