Brinjal Curry Recipe

My Slow-Cook Potato & Brinjal Curry

The days are shortening, the nights are cooling – and we are all at home due to Covid-19! So a comforting slow-cooked curry and rice is just the thing for your hungry family. This is my version of a brinjal curry recipe. It is reminiscent of my visit to Nepal many years ago.

Ingredients and Method

After you have collected fresh vegetables from your garden, drag your old crock pot out of the kitchen cupboard. Of course, many of you will need an excursion to the supermarket to buy the vegetables.

The key vegetables for this curry are 1 large brinjal (or egg plant), four or five small to medium sized potatoes, 1 large onion, a few garlic cloves, either fresh or tinned tomatoes (1 tin), juice of one lemon and one tin of chick peas (drained). Depending on what is growing in my garden, I like to add spinach, carrots and a bunch of fresh coriander. Unfortunately I realise that some of you sensory-deprived readers may not like coriander! So you might like to add something else.

Prepare the Vegetables

I slice up the eggplant into rounds, the onions into fine slices, potatoes into cubes and the rest of the vegetables into strips and mince the tomatoes and garlic. Then I prepare the brinjal by frying it in a small amount of coconut oil till it is soft and a golden brown colour (up to 10 minutes). The fried brinjal and other vegetables apart from the onion, tomatoes and garlic are added into the crock pot.

Next I prepare the spices by grinding together 2 teaspoons each of cumin seeds and coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons of tumeric and 1 teaspoon of pepper or chilli seeds. My son doesn’t like hot curry, so I don’t add chilli. I then lightly fry the onion in about one tablespoon of coconut oil. By the way, adding a little brown sugar to the frying onion will help brown the onion nicely!

Finally, I add the sauce to the vegetables in the crock pot and mix it all together. If the mixture looks a little dry I will add another half-cup or so of water. Turn on the crock pot and let the brinjal curry cook for up to six hours. About an hour before serving the curry, I finally mix in 1 teaspoon of garam masala. I make up my own garam masala (my secret!).

I serve the curry on a bed of hot steamed rice. There is plenty in the crock pot for three or four persons. And, in my humble opinion, a generous bunch of coriander takes this curry to the next level!

Please enjoy this healthy, fragrant vegan curry!