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Tamarind aubergine curry
If you are an aubergine fan, then this dish is sure to become your next favourite thing. The fried aubergine picks up on the aniseed notes of the fennel and the sour kick from the tamarind, and the whole combination is just heavenly. Be careful not to taste it too much along the way, as you might have nothing left to eat at the end! Serve with some rice or paratha.
SERVES
2
Ingredients
Curry:
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- pinch of asafoetida
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 200ml (7fl oz) water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
Aubergine:
- 1 aubergine, cut into fingers 5–7.5 cm (2–3 inches) long
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2–3 tablespoons sunflower oil
Directions
- To prepare the aubergine, place it on a plate, sprinkle with the salt and set aside for ten minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil for the curry in a pan, add the asafoetida and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Then add the onions and cook over a medium heat for ten minutes until golden.
- Heat the oil for the aubergine in a large frying pan. Pat the aubergine fingers dry, add them to the hot oil and cook over a high heat for two minutes until golden.
- While the aubergine is cooking, heat a small frying pan, add the fennel seeds and dry-roast over a low heat for a minute. Then use a pestle and mortar to crush them.
- Add the crushed fennel seeds to the onions and cook for a minute. Then stir in the ground spices and add the fried aubergine with the measured water. Cook over a low heat for ten minutes.
- Stir in the sugar and tamarind and cook over a high heat for five minutes until the sauce thickens, then serve.
Text copyright © Chetna Makan 2021. Design and layout copyright © Octopus Publishing Group 2021. Photographs copyright © 2021 Nassima Rothacker. Published in 2021 by Mitchell Beazley, an imprint of Octopus Publishing Group Ltd. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
