Eggplant and mustard curry

This is a version of a dish my mum makes every so often. The piquant flavour comes from the mustard and tamarind instead of the usual curry powder.

Credit: Sharyn Cairns

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 3 small black eggplants, approximately 280 g each
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 3 tsp ground turmeric
• 1½ tsp table salt
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• ¼ cup julienned ginger
• ⅓ cup curry leaves
• 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
• river salt and black pepper, to season
• ½ cup red capsicum, cut into 1 cm dice
• 1 cup tomato, cut into 1 cm dice
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tsp hot English mustard

Instructions

To prepare the eggplant, cut off the calyx and then slice the eggplant in half from top to bottom. Cut each of the halves into quarters, then each quarter in half, again from top to bottom. Each eggplant should give you 16 nice wedges. 

Heat vegetable oil in a wide-based saucepan to 180°C for deep-frying.

While you wait for the oil to heat, place one-third of eggplant into a plastic bag and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of turmeric and ½ teaspoon of salt. Hold the bag closed and give it a good shake to coat the eggplant. 

Once the oil is hot enough, spoon in the eggplant wedges and fry, jiggling them about every so often, for about 8 minutes, until quite dark. Remove from the oil and rest on a wire rack placed over a tray. Repeat with remaining eggplant, turmeric and salt. 

While all of eggplant is draining on the rack, heat a wide-based saucepan on a medium and add a small splash of oil (not too much as the eggplant will release extra oil). Add onion, ginger, curry leaves, chilli and a small amount of seasoning. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add capsicum and cook for a few minutes before adding the tomato, tamarind and mustards. 

Give this all a good mix to combine and then finally add in the eggplant. Gently mix so the eggplant gets coated and combines with everything without breaking it up too much. Cook for a minute or so and have a little taste – it should be a bit sour and have some mustard heat to it. Remove from the heat. This dish can be eaten straightaway but is actually better if left to sit a little and served at room temperature.

Note

• If you can find Sri Lankan mustard, use that instead of wholegrain and hot English mustards, and omit the ginger.

Photography by Sharyn Cairns. Styling by Deborah Kaloper. Food preparation by Emma Warren. Creative concept by Lou Fay.

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This recipe is part of The Seasonal Cook: Eggplant column.

View previous The Seasonal Cook columns and recipes.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.