Eggplant and Potato (Indian)

Submitted by mliss29

"From Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking. I have tried this with cauliflower instead of the eggplant, which was good, but I usually make it with carrots instead of the eggplant because even from a young age, Chef #784894 didn't like eggplant. Of course the dish is good with eggplant too! I just noticed that it calls for "boiling potatoes". I always use baking potatoes. Are they called "russet potatoes"? I also always double the recipe's spices and use a whole eggplant and cut up potatoes to equal the amount of eggplant."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 cup potato (boiling-type, peeled and diced)
• 1 cup eggplant, diced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a big skillet.
2. When hot, put in the mustard seeds.
3. When they start to pop, put in the vegetables. Stir once.
4. Add seasonings. Stir and fry for a minute.
5. Add 3 tablespoons of water, lower heat, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes.
6. Stir every now and then. If vegetables stick, add a little water.
7. Dish is done when the potatoes are tender.

Reviews

[Loren M.]

This recipe from Ms. Jaffrey's "World of the East Vegetarian Cooking" is superb.It was the very first "Indian" dish I ever cooked at home. Unlike the OP, I LOVE eggplant. Like others, I usually dice a small eggplant and measure the amount i have, then add proportionate amount of potatoes and double the spices (except for the cayenne). Following the recipe Ms. Jaffrey gave it takes a while to get the potatoes done, so I usually microwave them with about 1/3 cup water till just barely cooked (about 2.5 - 3 min), before adding to the skillet. I LIKE my eggplant very tender, so I do cook it to that point. I have also added cauliflower to the dish, without omitting any thing, and it comes out fine. Making this recipe with a whole eggplant and proportionate amount of potatoes makes a huge skillet full. Left-overs are fantastic as a filling in omlettes and fritattas, mixed into upma(an Indian breakfast dish) or rice, or just reheated and served in a wrap. Or saute some tomato, onion, ginger/garlic paste till the tomato is cooked then add left overs to that for an entirely new dish! In short, a great, flavorful dish, incredibly easy to make, and versatile in use. One of my all time favorite dishes.

 

[StacyMD187373]

This was a pretty good dish. I didn't have mustard seeds, which I know would've made it better, but this was a last minute meal. I had some eggplant that needed to be cooked and had an extra cup leftover from another dish, so made this. I did add some powdered mustard in. I diced the potatoes small and it took about 20-25 minutes to fully cook through. Tasty!

 

[preslar]

Next time I will cook the potatoes a bit before I add the eggplant. If you put all the vegetables in together, the eggplant becomes mush by the time the potatoes are done. That said, the flavor was awesome!

 

[Mr Tender]

Brings back memories of my trip to india last year.... mmmmm... great recipe :)

 

[Enjolinfam]

Yum, yum, yum! This was simple and wonderful! My family enjoyed this with rice and chapatis for a fantastic lunch. Thanks! This is a keeper. Made for Tempted by Turmeric Tag.