Baingan Bhindi ki Subzi (Eggplant and Okra Curry)

Eggplant curries are apparently unheard of here in NZ! Indian cuisine and curries are common, just not eggplant ones. Which is fine, but was a little disappointing when I was craving a nice baingan bharta a few weeks ago. Eggplants are in season now though. And I have a curry cookbook! So I figured that it might be nice to make an eggplant curry to supplement our takeaway dinner last night.

I'm really happy with how this one came out. I mean, it's not may favourite curry or anything. It's not even my favourite eggplant curry. But it's very quick and easy to throw together and has an excellent deliciousness-to-effort ratio, so I was very happy with that. It also only needs a handful of spices: just fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, and some fresh chilies.

The original recipe calls for four fresh green Thai or serrano chilies. But due to Reiver's nightshade sensitivity, I wanted to limit it to just one chile in the dish. So I picked out a fairly serious-looking long red chile from the freezer and just tossed that in. It definitely had some kick to it! I quite liked the level of heat that the final dish came out with, but I think it may have been a bit too punchy for some of the others. So... adjust the type and number of chilies according to your taste. I enjoyed this as a somewhat spicy dish, but it's not one of those curries that really relies on the fiery heat as a core component. You can definitely get away with making it milder if desired.

Baingan Bhindi ki Subzi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1-4 fresh green Thai or serrano chilies, thinly sliced
• 225g frozen sliced okra
• 1 small eggplant (225-275g), peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro¹

Directions

1. Heat the oil ove medium heat.
2. Add the onion and chilies, cover, and cook until the onion is soft and well-browned (10-15 minutes).
3. Add the okra and cook until okra gets a bit of colour on it (10-15 minutes longer).
4. Add the eggplant, salt, fenugree, mustard, and turmeric and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add the water and deglaze the pan.
6. Cook, uncovered, until sauce thickens (~15 minutes).
7. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until veggies are tender (~5 minutes more).
8. Sprinkle with cilantro (if using) and serve.

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¹ I omitted the cilantro in my rendition of this curry because I knew that it might be served to someone who has the "cilantro tastes like soap" thing going on. It's one of those things that's nice as a garnish for a bit of extra colour and flavour, but not hugely necessary in this particular case. Two tablespoons is a pretty finishing touch, but doesn't make a huge difference to the final dish, so you can safely leave it out if necessary. ^Back