Eggplant and Cherry Tomato Masala

Name: Eggplant and Cherry Tomato Masala
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons urad dal (black gram); 10 fresh curry leaves; 250 g cherry tomatoes, halved coriander leaves, to serve; 30 g ghee; 2 brown onions, finely sliced; 2 teaspoons sea salt; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 tablespoon fresh curry leaves; 40 ml vegetable oil; 400 g eggplants (aubergines), cut into wedges and deep-fried; 250 ml Tamarind Liquid; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 100 g split urad dal (black gram); ¼ teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder; vegetable oil, for brushing; ½ teaspoon chilli powder; 1 teaspoon castor sugar; 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves; 20 ml Tamarind Liquid; 20 ml fresh lime juice, strained; ½ teaspoon nigella seeds; 80 g grated fresh coconut; 1 small green chilli, minced; ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds; 1 teaspoon sea salt; ½ teaspoon ground fennel; 1 teaspoon mustard seeds; ½ teaspoon ground coriander; 60 g rice flour

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Fire

By Christine Manfield

Published 2008

About

This spicy vegetable stew is served over fluffy idli (steamed rice cakes) with a fresh coconut chutney. It pays homage to the vegetarian cooking of India’s southern states, where each component is characteristically flavoured with tempered spices.

Ingredients

40 ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
10 fresh

Asia
India
Sri Lanka
Main course
Stew
Vegetarian
Spicy

Method

To make the chutney, heat the ghee in a frying pan and fry the curry leaves, mustard and nigella seeds until they pop and crisp. Remove from the heat and set aside. Blend the coconut, chilli, coriander, tamarind, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper with a stick blender or small food processor until smooth. Add the fried spices and mix to combine.

To make the steamed rice cakes, rinse the