Eggplant Masala is a simple South Indian stir-fry dish. I love eggplant for being such a versatile vegetable. It can be roasted and blended to make a creamy babaganoush, baked with garlic and parmesan to make vegetarian steaks, or stewed into a delicious ratatouille. The best way though, and I say this without any compunction, is a simple stir-fry eggplant masala with a few spices.
Growing up, we had certain combinations of foods. If we had dal, then you would have to have it with eggplant, potatoes or broad beans. The idea of having dal with say, green beans was outrageous to us. I’ve thankfully grown less picky over the years, but I’d still say that my ultimate comfort food is dal tadka and my eggplant masala. After a long 20-hour flight back home to Chennai, that’s the only thing I want.
One of the interesting things about South Indian poriyal/sabzi/stir-fry is that one vegetable tends to be the hero vegetable. In this eggplant dish, we use onions as a base and then let the eggplant cook without any additional water. Eggplant has high water content and if you add any water to it, the dish will become mushy. Instead, I prefer cooking it in a non-stick pan with the lid closed. I do lift the lid every five minutes or so to stir the eggplant. This ensures that the eggplant doesn’t char at the bottom of the pan, since I’m not a fan of a smoky flavor for this dish. Once the eggplant has turned soft, I remove the lid and let it cook until it’s darkened nicely. It may not be photogenic, but that darkened eggplant has a heightened flavor that I cannot get enough of.
It pleases me that one of my favorite dishes also happens to be quite healthy. Eggplant has such high nutritional value. It is packed with nutrients like folate, potassium, vitamin K and vitamin C. It’s also rich in antioxidants and anthocyanins. And guess what? This healthy and flavorful comfort dish can be whipped together in half-an-hour!
Eggplant Masala
Ingredients
- 2 Large eggplants
- 0.5 Large onion
- 0.75 tsp Chili powder
- 1.5 tsp Coriander powder
- 2 tsp Salt
- 0.25 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1.5 tbsp Olive oil
- Cilantro leaves (a few) optional
Instructions
- Dice the onion and set aside.
- Chop eggplant into 1-inch size pieces.
- Heat a large pan. Add oil and wait for a few minutes till the oil is hot.
- Add the chopped onion and sauté till translucent. This will take about seven
minutes. - Now add the chopped eggplant along with the chili powder, coriander powder,
turmeric powder and salt. - Sauté well till the eggplant pieces are covered in the spices.
- Close the pan with a lid and bring the pan to medium heat.
- Every few minutes, stir the pot to ensure the eggplant doesn’t stick to the bottom
and is cooked evenly. It is important to not add any additional water and to
keep the lid closed so that the moisture from the eggplant helps with the
cooking. - In about 12-15 minutes, the dish will be ready. The eggplant will be soft and
quite dark when it is ready. - Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.
Such an easy recipe, can’t wait to try it!
This is s simply out of the world recipe … have tried it … very easy to cook n very tasty
Yummy yummy! Love this with dal and rice!
Looks yummy.
I absolutely loved this dish – thanks for the recipe!
I tried a variation with coconut oil – that turned out to be pretty good, as well.
This is one of my favorite dish .
This was delicious! Such a quick and easy recipe that was perfect for a busy week day. As a bonus, it’s keto friendly! Will definitely be making again.