Pan Asian: Aunty Manel’s Special Eggplant Curry (Sri Lanka)

Eggplant or brinjals (Vambotu in Sinhalese) was never a favorite of mine growing up. That is, until I tasted this dish at a dinner party given by some Sri Lankan friends. Ever since then, when we’ve gone to their house, I have to have it, and the hostess Aunty Manel always indulges my request. This vegan dish is probably the tastiest preparation of eggplant that you will ever eat. Though a little labor intensive with the deep-frying, it’s still well worth the effort. Just make sure that when you fry the eggplant it remains firm. (My mother even said to leave it for a few hours after frying before making the actual dish.)  This time it came out a little mushy in consistency, but still tasted great. You can eat it with rice, but Sri Lankans usually prefer to eat several curries together, so I prepared some fish ambul thiyal (the recipe can be found on a earlier episode of Pan Asian), paripoo or lentils, and mallun (sauteed greens). That’s a typical Sri Lankan meal–what we call ‘rice & curry.’

Rice & Curry: with fish ambul thiyal, mallun, dahl, and eggplant

This recipe and many others will be featured in my upcoming cookbook, Rice & Curry: Sri Lankan Home Cooking, which will be released by Hippocrene Books at the end of October.

 

The Recipe

1 lb. (500 g) eggplant

1/4 tsp. turmeric

oil for deep-frying

2 tbsp. oil

1 onion, sliced

2-3 green chilies, sliced

1 sprig curry leaves

2 inch (5 cm) stick cinnamon

3 cloves

1 tbsp. raw curry powder

1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. brown mustard seeds, ground

1/2  cup (125 ml) coconut milk

salt to taste

3 cloves garlic

2 inch (5 cm) piece ginger

1 tsp. sugar                    (A)

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup (125 ml) water

1.)            Wash and cut eggplant into 2 in (5 cm) strips. Rub with salt and a dash of turmeric.

2.)            Deep fry eggplant until golden brown. Drain on newspaper.

3.)            Blend (A) list ingredients in a food processor.

4.)            Heat oil in pan. Sauté onions, green chilies, and curry leaves until onions are translucent. Add cinnamon, cloves, and dry spices.

5.)            Add  (A) and bring to a boil.

6.)            Reduce heat and add eggplant, coconut milk and salt. Toss well and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Serve with rice.

Serves 2-4

made with Skiz's Original Raw Curry Powder