This looks completely unappetizing, I know, but bear with me. If you really love eggplant, it’s worth making. The spicing is mild (aka “Indian for wimps”), so pump up the heat and the curry powder if you really want some flavour. You’re also supposed to serve it with tomato chutney (or tomato-based chili sauce, which would add a lot of kick to the relatively bland dish). The recipe is adapted from Judith Finlayson’s “Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes.” The book has always been dependable for big flavours, so I feel as though this one was my fault somehow…
Stuff I probably did wrong:
1. Used a homemade curry powder instead of a commercial one (changes the flavour balance)
2. Didn’t use enough tomato paste (I keep mine frozen and scrape it out as needed, which makes it tricky to judge how much I’m adding)
3. Used too many potatoes. I added a few extra. Maybe a bad call.
Ingredients
2 eggplants (“Two medium” or 1 very large), cut into 2″ cubes (though I’ve never known an eggplant to be square), sweated and drained (toss with 1/2 tsp salt, then leave to drain in a colander for 30 minutes before rinsing with cold water and patting dry with paper towels. This removes the bitterness. Skip this step if your eggplants are REALLY fresh)
2 tbsp sunflower oil (or vegetable)
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2″ piece of ginger, minced or grated
1 long, thin, red chili pepper, seeds and white membrane removed, minced
2 tsp curry powder (homemade or store-bought. I never say that, but that’s what the recipe wants. And I don’t argue with Judith Finlayson)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup water (or broth)
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
Sweat the eggplant and chop everything while you’re waiting about 30 minutes for them to release their bitter juices. It’s like an eggplant detox.
Cook the drained and dried eggplant piece in the hot oil in batches over medium heat. Use a large skillet. Transfer the pieces to the slowcooker as they finish browning. Get all the sides of the pieces nice and brown, so take your time.
Add the onions to the pan. You may need to add a little more oil first so they don’t stick. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chili, curry,salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. You just want to cook the spices before adding the liquid.
Now add the tomato paste and water. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (more tomato paste, more salt). Pour skillet contents over eggplant in slowcooker. Add potatoes to slocooker. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 on high. You’re supposed to stir the tomato chutney directly into the dish. This seems like cheating. That’s all the flavour right there! Now it all makes sense. The tomato chutney should be a mandatory ingredient in the recipe. Making it optional is like saying “Make chicken florentine but optionally leave out the chicken,” or maybe more like “use salt, you know, if you like flavour.” I’m not impressed.
Still, I love eggplant, and I still enjoyed the dish without the tomato chutney, which I incorrectly thought was actually optional.
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