Smoked Aubergine Eggplant And Vegetable Curry Food

SMOKED AUBERGINE (EGGPLANT) AND VEGETABLE CURRY

Steps:

• Whizz all the spices paste ingredients together in a food processor with 4 Tbsp of water to make a thick coarse paste.
• Pierce the aubergine with a skewer and place directly over a gas flame, or under a hot grill: cook, turning, until charred. Transfer to a plate and leave until cool enough to handle. Cut off the stem and halve the aubergine lengthways. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Whizz the aubergine flesh with the coconut milk.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the spice paste and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for 10 minutes. Add the orange pepper, tomatoes, chick peas, potatoes and 400ml of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the coconut and aubergine mixture and peas. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with fresh sprigs of coriander and serve with basmati rice.

BURNT AUBERGINE VEGGIE CHILLI

Steps:

• If you have a gas hob, put the aubergine directly onto a lit ring to char completely, turning occasionally with kitchen tongs, until burnt all over. Alternatively, use a barbecue or heat the grill to its highest setting and cook, turning occasionally, until completely blackened (the grill won't give you the same smoky flavour). Set aside to cool on a plate, then peel off the charred skin and remove the stem. Roughly chop the flesh and set aside.
• In a large pan, heat the oil, add the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt, and fry over a low-medium heat for 15-20 mins until the carrots have softened.
• Add the aubergine, both types of lentils, the kidney beans with the liquid from the can, soy sauce, tomatoes, chocolate, chilli powder, oregano and the spices. Stir to combine, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to very low. Cover with a lid and cook for 1½ hrs, checking and stirring every 15-20 mins to prevent it from burning.
• Remove the lid and let the mixture simmer over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 mins until you get a thick sauce. Stir in the lime juice and taste for seasoning - add more salt if needed. Serve hot over rice with whichever accompaniments you want!

SRI LANKAN EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) CURRY

Steps:

• Wash the eggplants, remove the stalk, and slice lengthwise into quarters.
• Cut each quarter lengthwise into 1" wide strips and then crosswise into 1" cubes.
• Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a wok to medium-high heat (375F) and deep-fry the eggplant cubes in batches until golden brown (this takes around three to five minutes for each batch, adjusting oil temperature as necessary).
• Drain thoroughly on kitchen paper.
• In a medium-sized pan, heat the extra oil and saute and stir the onion until golden brown.
• Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and mustard and stir for a couple of seconds before adding the garlic, ginger, chillies and curry leaves.
• Stir and saute for 30 seconds.
• Add the vinegar, coconut milk, salt to taste and the sugar and stir until well mixed.
• Bring slowly to the boil before adding the deep-fried eggplant cubes.
• Stir, then simmer gently on low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
• Taste and season with a little more sugar and/or salt as desired.