Smoky Spiced Eggplant

Name: Smoky Spiced Eggplant
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) eggplants (aubergines); 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of ginger, chopped; 1 green chilli, chopped; 1 red onion, chopped; 1 garlic clove, chopped; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; ½ teaspoon garam masala; ¼ teaspoon chilli powder; 80 ml (⅓ cup) oil; 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons salt; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 3-4 tablespoons coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Food of India

By Priya Wickramasinghe

Published 2005

About

When eggplants (aubergines) are in season in India, they are often placed on the dying embers of a charcoal fire and left to smoke overnight, ready to be fried and blended with spices the following morning. Serve this dish with breads or as a cold relish.

Ingredients

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) eggplants (aubergines)
1

Asia
India
Side dish
Spicy
Gluten-free
Vegan

Method

Scorch the eggplants by holding them over a medium gas flame, or heating them under a grill (broiler) or on an electric hotplate. Keep turning them until the skin is blackened on all sides. Set aside until cool, then peel off the charred skin. Roughly chop the flesh. Don’t worry if black specks remain on the flesh because they add to the smoky flavour.

Combine the onion, garlic, ginger