Fried Eggplant Curry

Name: Fried Eggplant Curry
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Sri Lanka
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon salt; 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) vegetable oil, for deep-frying, plus 1 tablespoon extra; juice of 1 lime; 1 red onion*, thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds; 1 sprig curry leaves, leaves picked and torn; 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) coconut cream*; ½ teaspoon fennel seeds; 2 teaspoons Bamini’s roasted curry powder (or store-bought roasted curry powder); ½ teaspoon cumin seeds; 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) long, thin light purple eggplants; 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) coconut milk*

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka

By Bree Hutchins

Published 2013

About

This simple eggplant curry goes beautifully with thosai and it’s also great with steamed rice. Long, thin eggplants are best, as the skin helps to prevent the eggplant pieces from breaking up when you fry them.

Ingredients

800 g (1 lb 12 oz) long, thin light purple eggplants
500

Asia
Sri Lanka
Valvettithurai
Jaffna
Side dish
Vegetarian
Gluten-free
Spicy

Method

Cut the eggplants into quarters lengthways and then slice into 3 cm (11/4 inch) pieces. Heat the oil in a small wok over medium-high heat to approximately 180°C (350°F) (a cube of bread dropped into the oil will brown in 15 seconds). Working in five or six batches, deep-fry the eggplant pieces for 4-5 minutes, or until dark golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on