The first time I made this recipe was in a cabin overlooking Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, on a spring evening. I had just returned from India and Nepal and was yearning for spiced curries and strong, punchy flavors. I couldn’t find anything that satisfied my hunger in the local restaurants, so off I went to buy fresh ingredients to make this curried chickpeas eggplant. I hope you’ll like it just as much as Chris and I did.
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35-40 min | Serves: 4 | Difficulty Level: ♦ – Easy-Peasy
the eggplant
- 2 large eggplants
- 2 garlic cloves
- extra-virgin olive oil drizzle
- pinch of pink Himalayan salt
the chickpea curry
- 1 can chickpeas
- ½ medium yellow onion
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup coconut yogurt
- 1 tbsp shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1 tbsp vindaloo curry, powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala, powder
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp fenugreek
- 1 tsp coriander seed
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
the roasted eggplant
Rinse the eggplants under cold tap water. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
Preheat the oven to 450º F.
Peel and cut the garlic cloves in half. Set aside.
On a cutting board, remove the ends of the eggplants and cut in half. With a sharp knife, score the eggplant halves, both vertically and diagonally, going about 1/4″ deep into the flesh. Draw 2 or 3 vertical and 8 or 9 diagonal lines with the knife. Be mindful that the higher the number of cuts, the quicker the eggplant will roast.
Put the eggplants in an oven-safe baking dish and drizzle with abundant extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. With your flingers, rub the oil and salt into the eggplant flesh. Retrieve the garlic that you peeled and halved previously and rub it over the eggplants.
Roast for 35-40 minutes while preparing the chickpea curry.
Curried Chickpeas
On a cutting board, peel and dice the 1/2 onion. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil over a low flame. Add the vindaloo curry and garam masala powders, along with the fenugreek and crushed coriander seeds. Toast for a minute until fragrant and add the diced onion, shredded coconut, salt, and sugar. Increase the heat to a medium flame and sauté the onion for 2 minutes until translucent and lightly caramelized. At this time, add the yogurt, vegetable broth and drained chickpeas. Mix well with a wooden spoon, place a lid over the saucepan, and bring the curry to a gentle boil for 15-20 minutes. When ready, turn the burned off and wait until the roasted eggplant is ready.
Serve 3 generous tablespoons of the curried chickpeas over half of the roasted eggplant.
EXTRAS AND TIPS
The inspiring view from the cabin in Lake Tekapo, where I developed this recipe.
