Eggplant curry is a classic dish made by most Sri Lankan households. A simple dish made to use as a side for your rice, lump rice, paratha roti, or naan. I grew up loving eggplant curry. One of my favourite vegetables to have since little.
Besides my mom’s cooking, I have had this dish at just about all my friends and relative’s houses. At times Sri Lankans use this side served at weddings and other special occasions too along with rice and other curries.
Eggplants come in different sizes, shapes and shades of purples. They have this unique flavour and texture that helps make varieties of dishes taste delicious. Not to mention the benefits this vegetable has to offer.
It is rich in nutrition so adding this to your diet will help you from heart health to help with lower blood pressure and also has the ability to benefit those with iron deficiencies and many more.
With a vegetable like this it can be baked, stir-fried, roasted, grilled and do so much more with it but if you have not tried this vegetable as a curry, you really should.
How It’s Made
To make eggplant curry, we will need a few main ingredients like the eggplant, potato, and unripe green banana. Wash, peel, and dice them all in the same size. The eggplants don’t need peeling, but the other two does. Don’t peel the banana as you would a normal one, instead use a peeler to peel them all.
To cook the vegetables, you may deep-fry them if you like or bake them using a little bit of olive oil over it (Bake at 320’F for about 15-25 min or more, turning them halfway. To check if cooked, use a fork to see if it goes right through).
I normally pan fry them instead. Which means I use less oil then the deep-fry so only one side gets fried at a time. A little bit of leftover oil from the pan-fry can be used to make the rest of the curry (optional). From there on all there is to do is saute the onions along with the rest of the spices to enhance the taste. With added coconut milk, the vegetables would then be infused in to bring an authentic flavour.
That’s all there is to make this yummy Srilankan style eggplant curry. A squeeze of lime when off the stove will give a zesty punch to this dish. Give it a try!
Did you know…
Eggplants come in white too? Thai eggplants are actually green. On this recipe, I used 2 of the Japanese eggplants, but if you’re using the American (globe) eggplant or the Italian one, go with 1/2 or 1 instead. The Japanese eggplant is mostly thin and long, so go with 2 long or 3 short skinny ones.
Eggplant Curry - An Easy Srilankan Recipe
An easy recipe made simple to make an outstanding eggplant curry. One of the classic add-ons to form the Sri Lankan rice & curry.
Ingredients
- 2 large-size Potatoes peeled, diced
- 1 Unripe green banana peeled, diced
- 2 Japenese eggplants diced
- Olive oil or coconut oil to cook
- Vegetable oil if deep-frying
- Salt
- 2and 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder divided
- 1/2 Sprig Curry leaves
- 1/2 tbsp Ginger & garlic paste
- 2 Sundried red chilli peppers
- 1 tsp Mustard seed
- 1/2 medium-size Onions diced
- 1/3 Tomatoes diced
- 1 Green chili
- 1 tsp Chili powder -optional
- 1/2 tsp Chili flakes -optional
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1/3 cup Coconut milk if not use 2% or 3.25% milk
- lime -optional
Instructions
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Use a peeler to peel the green banana skin as well as the potatoes skin off. Cut off the top of the eggplants then dice the rest along with the peeled potatoes and the peeled green banana.
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Sprinkle each vegetable with 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder. Then pan-fry them separately using the vegetable oil. The potatoes and the banana must be fried to a golden colour and the eggplant to a light brown. Drain the excess oil with a kitchen paper towel and set it aside.
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Next, on a medium-high heat, use a non-stick pan to heat a little coconut or olive oil. Add the sundried red chilli pepper, mustard seed and the 1/2 sprig of curry leaves. Soon the mustard seed will start to sputter.
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Bring the heat down to medium, then throw in the diced onions and the ginger & garlic paste, saute until the onions turn into a light golden colour. Then add the diced tomatoes and a tsp of turmeric powder.
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When the tomatoes have gotten softer, add the chilli powder (optional), chilli flakes (optional), and black pepper. Mix it well with the onions before adding the coconut milk.
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Mix again and then throw in the eggplant, green banana, the potatoes, green chilli and sprinkle a pinch of salt. Mix it lightly and let it simmer over low heat for about 10-15 min covered with the lid. The coconut milk should have reduced and thickened when done.
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Once it's off the stove, add a squeeze of lime (optional) and carefully mix to finish off the dish.
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Serves best with white rice or ghee rice, while it's still warm. Goes great along with other vegetables too.
You can make this recipe using only the eggplant alone, without the potatoes and the green banana. It would still taste great but I am spoiled with using at least one of the 2 other vegetables along with the eggplant that I almost never make it only with the eggplant alone.
This recipe may seem a little intimidating but this is an easy dish to make. I got it right the first time when my mom taught me long ago. The more I made it I perfected it as to my taste preferences. So don’t be afraid to change the recipe around. Play with it, add more or less of what you like and perfect to satisfy your cravings.
The dishes below will go well along with the eggplant curry and rice. Click to read more (recipes inside).
Dhal Curry cooked using coconut milk, sauteed onions, and other seasonings to infuse a deliciously rich flavour into this Srilankan dish we call parippu.
This gotukola salad not only is so delicious but also packed with so much health benefits for you to stay fit and looking young.
This beef fry is made dry and spice filled side to go with your meals. The flavour of this beef fry will blow your mind.
