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Serves
8
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preparation
10 minutes
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to cook
20 minutes
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difficulty
easy
Freshly picked up with Simon Toohey.
Ingredients
- 8 Sicilian eggplant or 5 medium regular eggplants (see note)
- 6 tbsp Mustard oil
- 1 tbsp Black mustard seeds (yellow can be used)
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Fennel seeds
- ½ tsp Nigella seeds
- 2 Long dry red chilies
- ½ Red onion, chopped
- 3 Clove garlic, minced (optional)
- 10 Curry leaves
- 4 Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 ton of chickpeas, dry
- Rice or naan roti, to serve
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into 2.5cm cubes. Place 3 tablespoons of mustard oil in a large heavy-based pan and heat until smoking. Add eggplant and fry for 5-6 minutes or until brown.
- Remove from pan and set aside on kitchen paper or baking paper. Add remaining oil and then black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds and dry chillies. Cook for a few seconds. Add the onions and, if your pan is very hot, a splash of water, then fry for a few minutes until they start to color around the edges.
- Add the garlic (if using) and curry leaves and cook for 10 seconds before adding the tomatoes. Cook for 7 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for a minute before adding back to the cooked eggplant. Add gram with 50ml water and cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Serve with naan and/or rice.
Note
Sicilian eggplants are round, firm-fleshed eggplants, often with a lighter purple color than some other varieties.
Cook’s Notes
The oven temperature is conventional; If using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature to 20˚C. | We use Australian spoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 milliliters. 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and the cups should be lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium-sized and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 grams, unless specified.
Freshly picked up with Simon Toohey.