Katarikai Bhajee (Fried Eggplant Curry)

This curry was delicious! Eggplant can be somewhat hit or miss with me, but this was definitely a hit. The eggplant ends up cooked just right and isn't overly greasy and the chilies give it a nice, spicy kick.

I'm always amazed at the complexity of flavours that can be coaxed out of just a few spices. This curry relies on coriander seeds, chilies, mustard seeds, toasted lentils, and a bit of turmeric. Curry leaves and cilantro round things out. But there really isn't that much to it. And yet it tastes amazingly full-bodied and intricate. Definitely a strong recommend from me. Especially since it's also relatively quick and easy to make. You really can't go wrong!

Katarikai Bhajee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 5 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 3 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/white lentils/urad dal), divided
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 450g eggplant¹, cut into 5mm cubes
• 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• ~3/4 c. diced tomato²
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the coriander seeds, chilies, and 2 Tbsp. of the lentils and cook until lentils have browned and chilies begin turning black (~3 minutes).
3. Immediately remove from heat and strain toasted mix out of pan with a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much of the oil as possible.
4. Transfer the toasted spices to a plate to cool. Once cooled, transfer to a spice grinder and finely grind. Set aside.
5. Return pan to medium-high heat.
6. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they stopp popping (30-60 seconds).
7. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of lentils and stir-fry until golden (~30 seconds).
8. Add the eggplant and curry leaves and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
9. Add the salt and turmeric and stir to combine.
10. Add the water and bring to a boil.
11. Simmer vigorously, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is soft and sauce has been mostly absorbed (~10 minutes).
12. Add the tomato, ground spices, and cilantro.
13. Serve with plain yogurt or a raita of your choice.³

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¹ I used Asian eggplants for my rendition of this curry. I removed the stems, but left the skin on. Italian eggplant will also work fine, but I would advise peeling it as the skin on this variety tends to be somewhat tougher than on the smaller, Asian/Japanese varieties. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for 1 "medium-sized" tomato, cored and chopped. I didn't have any fresh tomatoes on hand, so I elected to use canned diced tomatoes. I put four big spoonfuls in, which I figure probably worked out to ~3/4 c. I think a little more or a little less also would have been fine. Follow your heart and adjust to taste. ^Back
3 We were all out of yogurt, so our curry had to be served unaccompanied this time. I do highly recommend having it with some sort of yogurt-based side/topping if you can though. I think the cooling tartness would complement the curry well, plus it's a convenient way to add a bit of extra protein to the meal and make it somewhat more nutritionally complete. ^Back