A healthy and low-fat dish.
Eggplant Curry (Vambotu Morjuwa)
INGREDIENTS
300g eggplant
4 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
100g red onion
125g capsicums (red pepper)
10g garlic
10g ginger
20g green chili
5 sprigs of curry leaves
2 inch piece of lemongrass
1 inch cinnamon stick
50g dry sprats (or anchovies)
50g Maldive fish powder
1 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard power
½ teaspoon red chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon roasted curry powder
1 teaspoon raw curry powder
2 tablespoons mango chutney
1 tablespoon brown or white sugar
Salt
METHOD
- Heat the oven to 180 degrees
- Wash the eggplant and cut into 2 inch strips
- Arrange on a baking tray, spinkle with salt and vegetable oil (or olive oil)
- Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes
- Dice the onion, wash and clean dry sprats, slice the capsicum into wedges, chop the green chili, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and curry leaves.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, add the sprats and fry until crispy
- Add garlic, onion, ginger, capsicums, green chili, curry leaves, lemongrass, cinnamon, Maldive fish powder then temper the mixture.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and the vinegar
- Remove from the heat, mix in the grilled eggplants and stir gently
- Check the seasoning
- Serve with rice
When I was alone, I lived on eggplant, the stove top cook’s strongest ally….
Laurie Colwin (‘Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant’)