Cauliflower and Eggplant Curry

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There are not many dishes that can warm you up on a cold evening better than a good home cooked curry. This Cauliflower and Eggplant Curry recipe doesn’t necessarily subscribe to any ‘traditional’ curry recipe like a Korma or Tikka Masala, however, does carry a lot of similar flavors. It’s basically our homemade version of a classic curry inspired by some of our favorite vegetables and spices that we love in a good curry!

Classic spices for a good home cooked Curry

This recipe is following the classic approaches of an Indian style curry using the amazing spice combination of Turmeric, Coriander Powder, Cumin, and Garam Masala. The last-mentioned spice, Garam Masala, is a spice blend very typical of Indian cooking and usually contains a mix of Coriander Seeds, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Mustard Seeds and Nutmeg. It’s an essential spice in many Indian dishes and the spice blend packs a huge flavor punch


Our Cauliflower and Eggplant Curry dish is a vegetarian dish; however, we do use Heavy Cream in this recipe. You can substitute the Heavy Cream with non-dairy milk or Coconut Cream to make the dish Vegan. Alternatively for the meat eaters, a tasty addition to this dish is Chicken Thighs. Simply cut them up into bite sized pieces and cook in the sauce before you add the vegetables

The dish also uses Ghee, a very classic clarified Butter in Indian dishes. You can substitute the Ghee with regular Butter if you do not have any available, or for Vegan you can totally use Vegetable Oil

How hot should a Curry be?

The age-old question and the answer is totally – it’s up to you. This recipe does not include any heat as we’re leaving this dish as a baseline curry recipe. Totally delicious as it is however if you love a bit more heat in your curries then either add Red Chilis or Chili Powder (or both if you’re adventurous!) When the vegetables and spices are added. We would always recommend airing on the side of caution when cooking for others when it comes to Heat, as what you may find palatable may be completely inedible for others!

For the absolute best flavor, roast the Cauliflower and Eggplant

We’re big fans of roasting vegetables as a step in preparing our dishes. Whether it’s for Soups, Salads, or Curries such as this one, there’s no better way to extract the flavor of a vegetable than roasting it. The roasting cooking method, like others, extracts all of the moisture from the vegetable. However, unlike other methods such as pan frying, roasting will enhance the natural sugars in the vegetables and caramelize them like no other cooking method

This method results in a much richer and sweeter overall flavor for your vegetables. The roasting technique works with so many different types of vegetables, from Onions, to Leeks, to Potatoes and Butternut Squash. So, it perhaps goes without saying that it’s going to work well with Cauliflower and Eggplant

Unlike other vegetables, roasting the Cauliflower and Eggplant doesn’t take that long. 25 – 30 minutes in the oven is plenty of time to cook the vegetables and get them wonderful and caramelized. For some added flavor, we’re big advocates of seasoning the vegetables with Olive Oil and Salt before they go into the oven. This will just add more flavor to the vegetables, and in turn, to the Cauliflower and Eggplant Curry

Cauliflower and Eggplant Curry Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Whole Cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
• 1 Whole Eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 Large Red Onion, Sliced
• 2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. Ghee (you can use Butter or Oil as an alternative)
• 1 tbsp. Turmeric
• 1 tbsp. Coriander Powder
• 1 tbsp. Cumin
• 1 tbsp. Garam Masala
• 3 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 28 oz. / 800g Canned Crushed Tomatoes
• ½ cup Heavy Cream
• ½ cup Cilantro, Chopped
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
  
  

Instructions

1. Our first step is to roast the Cauliflower and Eggplant. Roasting these vegetables brings out their best flavor and is so easy to do. Spread out the cut Cauliflower and Eggplant on their own baking tray each, drizzle with Olive Oil and a generous helping of Salt and roast in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes, turning once
2. Once the vegetables are cooked, remove from the Oven and set aside. The Cauliflower will have some lovely golden char to it, and the Eggplant will be a dark brown color. This is when you know they’re done
3. Place the Ghee / Butter into a large pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Once melted add the Red Onion and cook for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring constantly
4. Add the Garlic, Turmeric, Coriander Powder, Cumin, Garam Masala, Salt, and Pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Stir constantly to ensure the Spices begin to cook and get incorporated into the Butter / Onion mixture. After 2 minutes, add Tomato Paste and cook for another 2 minutes
5. Add the Crushed Tomatoes then bring to a light Simmer. Cook for 20 minutes so the Tomatoes begin to reduce, and the overall sauce begins to thicken
6. After 20 minutes, add the Roasted Cauliflower and Eggplant to the curry and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes just to re-heat the vegetables then pour in the Heavy Cream
7. Bring back to a light simmer then remove from heat. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Finally, Mix in the Cilantro and you are ready to serve
   
   

There is a wonderous list of amazing accompaniments for Indian cuisine, and we love having several tasty sides and sauces to go along with this curry. Along with some Jasmine Rice or Naan Bread we would recommend the following

Delicious Side Dishes for this Curry

• Pickled Onions (recipe here): Adds a lovely acidic crunch to the dish
• Yoghurt Sauce (recipe here): Adds a refreshing, cooling profile to the dish. Particularly great if you’ve added those Chilis to the dish!
• Spicy Tamarind Chili Jam (recipe here): A rich, decadent Jam, almost Chutney like in taste and texture which ramps this dish up substantially