1 large eggplant
1 cup oil, divided (I use grapeseed)
1 large red onion, diced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh or ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground mustard seed
4 tomatoes, coarsely chopped, optional
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons seasame seeds
kosher sea salt, to taste (I use 3 pinches)
1 1/2 cups prepared basmati rice
1. Slice eggplant into 1/2" thick rounds, and then slice rounds into fourths. Heat 1/2 cup oil in pan and fry eggplant until done, then strain, and set aside.
2. Place onion in the pan with an additional 1/2 cup olive oil and cook until onion is translucent. Mix in tomato paste, then mix in curry powder, chili powder, cumin, ginger, and mustard.
3. Stir in fresh tomatoes. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir until evenly distributed. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
4. Add eggplant, cover, and simmer for 3 minutes over low heat. Salt, to taste. Pour over a serving of basmati rice and enjoy!
Source of recipe: This is a traditional Indian dish. I originally got a recipe for this dish from YouTube, but unfortunately, the recipe called for a lot of Indian ingredients that I didn't have, so I improvised and came up with something a little different, yet very delicious!