Smoky Eggplant Curry Salsa (Gujarati-Style) Recipe Card
Smoky Eggplant Curry Salsa (Gujarati- Style) is a flavourful dry Indian dish and a favourite family recipe. Roasted tender eggplants (aka aubergines) are diced and stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, garlic and authentic spices to serve as a side or main meal.Low-Carb6g net carbs/serving
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 large Eggplants
- 3-4 cloves Garlic crushed/minced
- ½ cup Red Onions diced
- ⅔ cup Diced Canned tomatoes
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Chilli Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1-2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- extra Diced Red Onions to garnish
- extra Olive Oil for drizzling
Instructions
Roast the Eggplant:
- Wash and dry the eggplant. Make slits around the eggplant and hide the garlic slices in the slits to prevent them from burning under the broiler.
- Place the eggplants on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place the baking sheet on the top shelf of the broiler (about 5 inches under the broiler).
- Broil the eggplants on low heat for 10 minutes, turning every two minutes until all sides are charred.
- After broiling, carefully move the baking sheet to the middle shelf and bake the eggplants for 20 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Dice the Roasted Eggplant:
- After 20 minutes, poke a long kebab stick into the eggplant, which should feel soft inside but will be a little firm and easy to dice.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the eggplants to cool completely.
- Peel the eggplant, cut it into slices, cut each piece into strips, and then dice.
Make the Eggplant Curry Salsa:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet or cast iron, add the red onions and garlic and saute until soft and translucent.
- Stir in the canned tomatoes, turmeric, chilli powder and salt and cook until the flavours are absorbed into the vegetables.
- Add the prepared diced eggplant to the skillet and stir it to combine all the ingredients.
- Squeeze lemon juice all over the eggplant curry, and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat. If it begins to burn, add some water
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, and red onions, and drizzle with olive oil as desired.
Notes
How to select a good eggplant
- Eggplants come in various sizes and shapes, but the type you need to make this smoky eggplant curry recipe is the large dark purple kind that can be roasted whole without losing its form.
- Eggplant should be slightly firm but not hard and feel heavy.
- The skin should be dark purple and glossy, but if it looks dull, it is over-matured and will not yield good results after roasting.
- Eggplants are at their peak in the warmer season from July through to October but are available all year round.
- Avoid eggplants with brown patches or wrinkled skin.
- The stem end of the eggplant should be clean and mould-free.