Ingredients
| SPICE MIX | |
| 1 tablespoon coriander seeds | |
| 1 tablespoon cumin seeds | |
| 1 clove | |
| ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds | |
| 1 teaspoon black peppercorns | |
| 3 cardamon pods, seeded | |
| 2 teaspoons ground smoked sweet paprika | |
| 1 teaspoon ground turmeric | |
| 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder | |
| ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg | |
| SPICED PASTE & SAUCE | |
| 2 tablespoons chickpea flour | |
| ¼ cup roasted cashews, finely ground | |
| 3 tablespoons spice mix (see recipe) | |
| 3 cloves garlic, minced | |
| 5cm-piece ginger, finely grated | |
| 4 tablespoons oil | |
| 4-5 small eggplants, approximately 800g | |
| 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds | |
| 1 sprig curry leaves | |
| 1 onion, chopped | |
| 1 cinnamon stick | |
| 4 tomatoes, peeled, roughly chopped | |
| 1 x 400g tin coconut milk | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| a handful chopped coriander leaves | |
| lemon juice, to taste |
This is a rich and warmly spiced dish. I know that the list of ingredients looks large, but it can be broken down into parts and made ahead. Don’t stress if you can’t find all the spices; it’s really rather flexible. Kashmiri chilli powder is vibrantly red but not that spicy so you could add chilli flakes at a pinch. The chickpea flour helps the spice mix to stay on the eggplant; don’t miss the toasting step which develops its nutty aroma as well as minimising any bitterness. Smaller eggplants are ideal to use here but not always readily available. You could use 2-3 larger eggplants instead.
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Instructions
| 1. | SPICE MIX |
| 2. | Put the coriander, cumin, clove, fenugreek, black peppercorn and cardamon seeds in a frying pan and toast. |
| 3. | Cool, then grind in mortar and pestle or a small food processor. Combine with the remaining spices. |
| 4. | This makes double what you will need for the recipe, but it will keep for a couple of weeks in an airtight container. |
| 5. | SPICED PASTE & SAUCE |
| 6. | In a small dry pan toast the chickpea flour until nutty and golden. Put into a bowl and leave to cool. |
| 7. | Add the ground cashews, spice mix and half of the garlic and ginger. |
| 8. | Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and 2 tablespoons water. This should be a reasonably thick paste. |
| 9. | Cut the eggplants into quarters lengthwise, keeping the stem intact so the eggplant stays in one piece. |
| 10. | Smear the spice paste in the cuts of the eggplants. This can be done a day ahead. |
| 11. | Heat a wide pan, add the remaining oil and gently fry the eggplants on all sides for 5-6 minutes (do this in batches if necessary). Remove from the pan and set aside. |
| 12. | Add the black mustard seeds and curry leaves (and a splash more oil if required) and cook until the seeds start to pop then add the onion and cinnamon and fry gently until soft. |
| 13. | Add the rest of the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. |
| 14. | Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, then add the coconut milk and salt and cook for a few minutes. |
| 15. | Add the eggplant back to the pan, cover and cook over a low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the eggplant is soft, stirring occasionally. |
| 16. | Stir through the coriander, add lemon juice to taste and serve with basmati rice or some roti. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe