Eggplant Spinach Curry in a Hurry
2 large eggplant
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups tomato sauce
Spices (to taste, follow your heart):
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Ground chili to taste
4 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper
1) Lightly oil eggplant and prick all over with a fork. Grill or bake in oven until soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool. Then remove peel and chop the flesh. Set aside.
2) While that's going on, sauté onion and black mustard in olive oil. Add other spices and sauté until fragrant. Mix in remaining ingredients. Simmer gently until the eggplant is tender and done, about 15 min. You may need to add a little water to keep the tomato from sticking. Serve over rice, quinoa or millet.
This dish tastes better if you make it ahead of time and reheat it.
Source of recipe: This recipe was inspired by a friend's memories of a dish prepared by her Indian roommate in college.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
BTW. You can saute the onion and spices and then throw everything in the crockpot and cook it on High for 4-5 hrs. Do make sure to grill the eggplant first tho.
If you don't have them or don't like them, you can just leave them out and add a bit more masala. Once I mistakenly used kalonji seeds (which are also black) and it was fine. That's why the recipe says "follow your heart"...use what you have and like.
Is there anything I can sub for the black mustard seeds?