Indian Eggplant Curry ! Baby eggplant cooked in a sauce made of sesame seeds, coconut meat, ginger and some spices makes a savory side. Super easy to make and bursting with nutrition this eggplant curry can be eaten with some nan, bread or just by itself. If you look for this dish in an Indian restaurant, it may also be called Baingan Bharta. The eggplant is slit into four without fully cutting it up and tossed into an aromatic curry or sauce and cooked till it gets tender and soft. Pitch into it with a fork and mmmm… delish ! It just melts in your mouth. I had a lot of house guests over for Thanksgiving and once we were done with turkey, I made this spicy eggplant curry and it was a big hit. Sesame seeds, coconut meat, onion, ginger and chili are sautéed in olive oil and blended to a smooth paste. Spices are added to it transforming it into a curry bursting with flavor. When you toss the baby eggplant into the curry, it gets steamed with just a hint of flavor. I used frozen coconut meat which I pick up at the Indian store. It’s the closest I can find to freshly grated coconut but you can use desiccated coconut, fresh coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes.
Nutrition Wise
The elusive eggplant is a favorite of mine. Eggplants are bursting with phytonutrients that act as antioxidants that help to reduce the number of free radicals in the body which damage cells and may contribute to certain diseases, including some cancers and heart diseases. Eggplants are also a good source of dietary fiber, which can help improve cardiovascular and digestive health. Sesame seeds are high in vitamin E and considered heart healthy. They add to the fiber in this dish. Coconut meat is full of healthy monounsaturated fat that gets burnt as fuel. It’s an amazing fat that does not get stored as fat ! Curicumin aka turmeric and cumin add some antioxidant power. Overall, a very healthy dish.
Eggplant Curry
Print recipe
| Serves | 12 |
| Dietary | Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Side Dish |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Region | Indian |
Ingredients
- 12 Small baby eggplant
- 1 Medium onion (sliced)
- 3 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 Tbsp coconut meat (dry, fresh, desiccated, or unsweetened coconut flakes)
- 1 Large tomato (diced)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 3 green chili (or 1 jalapeno)
- 1 Tsp cumin powder
- 1 Tsp turmeric (or curicumin)
- 1 Tsp garam masala
- 2 Tbsp ginger (grated)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1 Tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tsp paprika
Note
This delicately flavored eggplant doused in a spicy curry is packed with antioxidants and fiber ! Tastes great eaten alone or with some bread !
Directions
 | Wash baby eggplant and trim the stem to the top without removing the stem piece which holds the eggplant together. Slit each eggplant into four from the bottom without completely cutting the eggplant into four pieces. |
 | Heat 2 tbsp olive oil, add chopped onion, grated ginger, chopped tomato and saute for 2 minutes. Add sesame seeds, coconut meat, green chili and saute another 3 minutes. Add to a food processor or blender and blend to a smooth paste. |
 | Put mixture back on fire and add turmeric, cumin, paprika, garam masala, salt and cook for 5 minutes. Add the baby eggplant and gently fold into the mixture. Add half cup water. Add a tbsp of olive oil and simmer for 10-15 minutes till the eggplant is tender and cooked. |
 | Serve warm with gravy or sauce scooped over eggplant. |
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Hi there! I’m Sunithi, AKA Sue, a registered dietitian with a sweet tooth and a passion for eating healthy (quite a combo) currently working as an independent consultant in the DC Metro area. I’m also a blogger, health nut, nutrition geek who jogs to keep sane :)! I love to revamp recipes and add some ‘Nutrition Bytes’ to them. All my recipes are gluten free! I also blog on natural health and fitness! Visit often and drop me a note if you have any nutrition queries!
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Thanks for stopping by 🙂
This looks so good! Love the baby eggplants.
baby eggplants are the best ! so tender when cooked ! Thanks Shelby !
Have been looking for a recipe for eggplant curry. This looks great & my Vegan BF will love it thanks ! Looks much lighter than the one we had at Bombay Bistro. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you like it ! It is a lighter version. Most Indian restaurants use cream & butter to get a creamy texture. This one just uses seeds to get a creamy texture !
beautiful…. colors & all ! I could just dig in. I would just eat this plain, Paleo style. The sesame seeds must give it so much flavor. Making this. Thanks for sharing Sue 🙂 !
I like it plain Paleo style too 🙂 Sesame seeds made it smashing 🙂 Thanks Steve !
Fantastic recipe and one of my favorite cuisine types. Would love to feature this recipe (and of course credit to you) on my website (www.whatisglutenfree.net) as excellent example of delicious gluten-free meal. Thanks, Sue.
Thanks ! Feel free to link up my recipe. Indian cuisine is popular. love it too , Indian & all 🙂
I love eggplant – How yummy 🙂
Thanks ! yummy indeed !
I totally love eggplant! THis looks beautiful – love the vibrant colors!
Ah thanks Laura ! Both of us love vibrant colors 😉 and eggplant ! Thanks for stopping by !
I loved reading the recipes of such mouth watering dishes on your site, Sunithi. You have a great blog. I loved this one too and surely will try it as I love egg curry. Thanks for the share.
This is just gorgeous! The color, the presentation, everything! I’m definitely trying this recipe soon. I have thing for eggplants and coconut but I’ve never thought of putting them together. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!
This delicious recipe is easy to do, thanks to you! The photos look so alluring and it made me crave for this tender baby eggplants. I will definitely try this. Thank you so much for the recipe!
This is perfect for special occasions. I will surely try to include this recipe of tender baby eggplants on my special lists. You have no idea how grateful I am. Thanks!
The recipe looks wonderful. What would you estimate the he weight of the 12 baby eggplants and/or their dimensions? I’m having a hard time judging from the photos.
As I search the internet, I am constantly looking for high quality websites that have useful information, and yours is one of them. So glad I found this site and I hope you keep up the good work.
When does the lemon juice go in….I realised I’d forgotten and put in in a few minutes before the end and now it tastes very sour.
While cooking is better. End is Ok too but tone it down a bit next time I guess!