Sri Lankan Eggplant Curry
Creamy eggplant curry with a coconut sauce that's flavored with a simple spice mix of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Serve with rice or roti.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 199kcal
Cost: $9 per recipe/$1.50 per serving
Equipment
- Spice grinder or blender
- Skillet
- Saucepan or saute pan
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
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 370mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg