Curried Spinach and Eggplant | Lisa’s Kitchen | Vegetarian Recipes | Cooking Hints

Fried cubes of eggplant cooked with spinach and spices—a fantastic addition to Bengali or North Indian meals

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 3/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 whole dried chilies
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 teaspoon white, brown, or coconut sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 lb (450 g) spinach, washed, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
• juice from 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)

Instructions:

• Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the eggplant cubes to the pan and stir until browned and crisp, about 5 or 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the garam masala, turmeric, and mustard powder.

• Use a mortar and pestle or a bowl with a sturdy spoon to crush the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the frying pan over medium heat until hot. Add the crushed seeds, chilies, and bay leaf, and fry for a minute. Add the tomato and stir for another few minutes to soften. Stir in the sugar and salt. Now add the spinach, a few handfuls at time, stirring and wilting between each addition. When the spinach is wilted and cooked, stir in the lemon juice and fried eggplant. Toss to combine and cook for another few minutes over medium-low heat. Serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings