Eggplant Curry: Easy Aubergine Tomato Curry

This eggplant curry has a subtle smoky flavor from the pan-roasted aubergine, which then mixes with a spiced tomato sauce. It’s easy and fairly quick to make, and the best part is that it’s simply finger-licking delicious.

Eggplant Curry

This vegan eggplant curry recipe is based on the Pakistani style of cooking that I learned from my sister-in-law. Therefore, it differs from some Indian curry recipes you might have come across. This curry does not have a coconut milk-based sauce. 

For those familiar with Pakistani/Indian dishes, this vegan eggplant dish is called baingan ki sabzi or brinjal ki sabzi in Urdu, meaning eggplant curry.

This easy recipe will help you make curry with tender eggplant pieces and a refreshing tomato-based sauce. If you like eggplant – which I’m sure you do – I think you will find this a great recipe. 

When it comes to spices, this recipe differs from many Indian-inspired curry recipes. It does not use garam masala powder or curry powder. Instead, it uses a simple spice blend to make a Pakistani-style curry.

Because it is easy and quick to make, and it has one of the best curry tastes you will have. 

I may sound biased, but I find my homemade aubergine curry is much better than the Indian brinjal curry from the local Indian restaurant. Because the spices are not overpowering, and it does not use as much oil as the ones you find in restaurants.

Pakistani Curry vs. South Indian Curry

Although technically all Pakistani food is similar, if not the same as Indian food, you will find differences in some dishes. Whether in the spices or in the method they use. 

However, even in Indian cooking, you see distinct differences between food from the north and the south. 

The Indians from the southern part use coconut milk a lot in their cooking. People from the north use yogurt and milk in their cooking.

Therefore, the South Indian eggplant curry adds coconut milk. Some even put coconut cream, and it is served with rice.

Since Pakistanis are more like the northern Indians (due to their geography), they do not add coconut milk to their cooking. They usually put tomatoes, yogurt, or milk on their masala base. An example of a yogurt-based sauce is Dahi Baingan, which translates to “eggplant in yogurt curry.” 

This eggplant recipe is no exception. It uses tomatoes as the base. So the sauce has a hint of tang that mixes well with the spices in this curry. This makes the dish taste refreshingly light and delicious.

Are Aubergine and Eggplant the Same Thing?

Yes, aubergine is what British and French people call this dark-purple fruit, and eggplant is what the Americans and Australians call it. 

And if you talk to people from the Indian sub-continent, such as Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis, etc., you may hear they call this fruit Brinjal or Baingan. 

But all refer to the same fruit of a plant species in the family of Solanaceae. 

How Long Does It Take to Cook Aubergine Curry?

If you do it how I do, by using two frying pans at the same time, this curry dish can be made in half an hour. 

So it’s an ideal choice for an easy dinner on your busy day. And for when you fancy delicious, comforting vegetarian food that’s ready in no time. 

Ingredients to Make Eggplant Curry

So, the ingredients you need are eggplant, brown onion, ginger, garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder, ground black pepper, tomatoes, cooking oil, and salt. 

When it comes to cooking oil, feel free to use any neutral oil that you personally prefer. I used to use rapeseed oil, or sunflower oil, but in the past few years, I have been using light olive oil for my curries for health reasons.

As for tomatoes, I frequently use tinned tomatoes. Because they’re almost always readily available in my kitchen, if you want to do the same, 1 cup of canned tomatoes (approximately 7.05 oz/200 gr) is more than enough for this recipe. But of course, you can always use fresh diced tomatoes, too.

How to Make Brinjal Curry in Pakistani Style

First, cut the eggplant into 2-inch cubes and sprinkle some salt all over the aubergine pieces. Let it sit on the counter while you make the masala. 

Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat, then fry the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, until it turns light golden. 

Add the garlic and ginger, then the remaining spices and salt. Fry further for another minute or two until all release the aroma. 

Next, add the chopped tomatoes, stir, and let everything cook with the pan lid on until you have a juicy sauce. Keep checking and mashing the tomatoes every now and again. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

In the meantime, get back to your eggplant. You will now see some moisture all over it. Rinse it with fresh water and squeeze it as much as you can, but take care not to break it.

Get another pan ready, then roast the eggplant pieces in it. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until it softens and looks charred. Take care and toss them around every now and again.

Your masala sauce should be ready by the time your eggplant is fully roasted. So add the eggplant to the masala and give it a good stir. Put the lid back on, reduce the heat, and cook for another 7-10 minutes. 

At serving, you can sprinkle some chopped fresh coriander, a few fresh curry leaves, sliced fresh green chili, and a squeeze of lime juice or lemon juice.  Promise, your curry will taste even better. 

Top Tips To Make Utterly Delicious Curry

• Choose the freshest eggplant possible. Its skin should feel firm to the touch, with no softness. When you cut it open, a good eggplant does not have seeds in its flesh. The flesh should be firm and smooth without any holes. If it has seeds, it’s overripe and won’t taste as good.
• Prepare the eggplant by leaving it with a generous sprinkle of salt.  After 10 minutes or so, you will see the eggplant sweat its sap. Then you can rinse it with fresh water and squeeze out the water as carefully as possible so you won’t break the fruit. This will help rid the bitterness of the eggplant.
  
• Technically, you can roast in the oven, but I find it time and energy-wasting. Instead, I roast it in a large frying pan at medium-high heat until it softens and looks slightly charred. You can use a griddle pan as well. I think this simple method adds flavor to the dish.
  
• When you cook the spices, ensure they are well-cooked until they release a delicious aroma before you add in the tomatoes to make the sauce. 
  
• You may need to add a little water if the sauce dries quickly. 

Variation of Roasted Eggplant Curry Recipe

If you like, you can turn this curry into eggplant and chickpea curry. Just make sure you double the sauce recipe if you want to add a tin of chickpeas. And cook the chickpeas in the spiced curry sauce while you cook the eggplant. 

Another variation is to put red lentils in the curry sauce. You can boil the lentils in a separate pan until fully cooked, then add them to the curry. 

Ways to Enjoy the Brinjal Curry

This roasted eggplant curry doesn’t have much sauce or gravy. So you can serve it with homemade Indian flatbreads such as roti/chapati, naan, or pitta bread as a vegetarian main dish.

I personally love eating it with plain basmati rice or brown rice. It is absolutely delicious. So you choose what you like.

As a side dish, this aubergine curry is nice to pair with other similar dry curries such as Aloo Palak (potato and spinach curry), Aloo keema (minced meat and potato curry), lamb keema matar (lamb minced-meat curry with green peas), or chicken and peppers curry.

Storing and Reheating Matter

As a rule, if you store it in an airtight container, this vegan eggplant curry keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days. 

Although fresh curry tastes best, you can freeze your eggplant curry for up to 2 months. When serving, make sure it’s completely thawed before reheating. And a little warning: if you freeze it, the eggplant’s texture tends to become mushy when you reheat it. 

Thank you and all the best.

Eggplant Curry: Easy Aubergine Tomato Curry

4.89 from 99 votes

This eggplant curry recipe will help you make a melt-in-the-mouth roast aubergine in tomato based curry sauce. It is an easy vegan curry that is perfect for a busy day.

BY: Devy Dar

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Prep : 5 minutes mins

Cook : 30 minutes mins

Total : 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Equipment

• Mixing bowls.
• Frying pan
• Wooden spoon

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Ingredients

 

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US CustomaryMetric

• 1 large eggplant/ aubergine Cut in 1 inch chunks.
• 1 medium onion chopped.
• 2 medium-sized beef tomatoes chopped.
• ½ inch ginger finely minced.
• 3 cloves garlic finely minced.
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder.
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder.
• ½ ground black pepper.
• ¾ teaspoon salt and a little bit more to wash aubergine.
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil.

Instructions

• Place the eggplant pieces in a mixing bowl, and sprinkle some salt all over them. Set aside and leave it until the aubergine sweats, releasing its sap.
• When the eggplant releases its sap, rinse it with water and then carefully squeeze them as much as you can. Take care not to break the aubergine. Drain and discard the water.
• Fry the aubergine pieces on a pan without oil. Keep stirring every now and again. Until all the eggplant is nicely browned.
• In the meantime, fry the onion until lightly golden and then add in the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, coriander, cumin, chilli, black pepper, and salt. Cook further until all the spices give aroma.
• Then add in the chopped tomatoes. Give it a stir and let it cook with the lid on. Keep checking. When all the tomatoes become soft, mash them with a wooden spoon until you have a nice smooth sauce. Let it simmer until the oil slightly separates from the spice masala.
• Finally, add in the pan-roasted aubergine chunks into the spice masala. Stir and cook it with the lid on for about 5-10 minutes until the aubergine is soft and tender with a nice thick curry sauce.

Notes

• If you don’t have Kashmiri chili powder, you can substitute it with a mix of paprika and chili/cayenne powders. Or just use chili powder. The difference is that Kashmiri chili and paprika powder have an intense red color, giving the dish a more vibrant appearance. 
• You can use any cooking oil you like. I have been using light olive oil for cooking curries for the past few years. However, I used to use either rapeseed oil or sunflower oil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 479mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g

Devy Dar

Devy founded So Yummy Recipes and Drizzling Flavor to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.