This Eggplant Poblano Pepper Curry is such an easy curry to make and such a hearty one to enjoy with rice or naan or pita bread to sop every last bit up.
This summer, my daughter and I have been doing quite a bit of hiking. So when the 4th of July dawned, well, we figured we’d just continue this hiking streak and hike up to Brasstown Bald – something we hadn’t done before.
Brasstown Bald is a little short of a 2-hour drive from our doorstep and is said to be the highest point in Georgia with some magnificent 360-degree views from the summit.
Brasstown Bald can be reached either by car and a short hike or several longer trails, ranging anywhere from 7 miles to 12 miles roundtrip. My daughter and I decided to take the Jack Knobbs Trail to the summit – which was said to be about a 10.5-mile hike from the parking spot to the summit and back to the parking spot.
My daughter reminded me to check the weather before we headed off – and I did, or I thought I had. You see, I didn’t realize (till we were hiking up) that I had checked the weather for the area we live in and not for the area around the mountain that was not only 2 hours away but also 4784 feet higher than where we were!
As we began our hike, it began to drizzle, but we decided to plow through. Of course, as we went further and further and didn’t run into a single other person, we started to realize that maybe we were the only ill-prepared nincompoops on the hill but decided to make the most of it.
The forest around the summit that we hiked through was filled with all kinds of mushrooms and differing areas of vegetation. Root-filled, uphill areas with a thick veil of trees led into fern-filled, open areas with almost fantasy-like views. Alas, when we got to the top – we were met with fog – thick fog!
And, I was a bit bummed that my lack of prep would hinder my daughter from feasting her eyes on those magnificent views she had Googled. But, then she mentioned that she had more fun hiking up and down – and I was reminded (yet again) that my kid is pretty cool and sometimes there is more fun in the journey than the actual destination.
Now, if you are wondering what our hike has to do with this curry, I’m sorry to say, not a darn thing. I was hoping to share some of the pictures from our hike and figured I would do so in this post.
As y’all might have read in earlier posts, that day, when we got back from our hike, we found out about my daughter’s friends accident and headed to the hospital.
But, I had bought some Indian Eggplant, some poblano peppers, and some fresh turmeric root the weekend before. So, the day after our hike, I decided to pull this curry together. This curry turned out better than I was expecting. Eggplant curries are hit or miss for me – sometimes I cook the eggplant too much, other times, too little.
Sometimes, the spices are just off – but this time (like that third bowl of porridge Goldilocks had) everything fell into place just right and so I had to share!
Ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh grated turmeric
- 10-12 small Indian Eggplants chopped
- 2 poblano peppers chopped
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 tsps coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsps chili flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp parsley
- juice of 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and onion to a pan and saute for about 10 minutes.
- Then add in the garlic, ginger and turmeric and saute a couple minutes before adding in the coconut milk, vegetable stock, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, and chili flakes. Stir well.
- Then add in the chopped eggplant and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add in 1 and 3/4 of the chopped pablano peppers as well as the parsely and lime and cook for about 3-5 minutes.
- Garnish with 1/4 of the chopped pablano pepper as well as some more parsley and chili flakes and enjoy with rice, roti, naan or even pita bread.
Nutrition
[…] my daughter moved away for college, we would often hike some amazing trails up in the North GA mountains. As most of these trails have bear warnings, I was not too comfortable embarking on these hikes by […]
How many servings does this make?
Can you use regular eggplant if Indian is not available?
Yes, you sure can!
About how many cups of chopped eggplant would 10-12 small Indian eggplant make?
About 2 cups approximately.
[…] to have been a 4.4 mile trail over a 3166 ft elevation. After having hiked 10.5 miles up and down Brasstown Bald, I figured this little 4.4 mile trail wouldn’t be too […]
[…] Very often, I pack a small picnic lunch like this Potato Bacon Avocado Salad (made with Smithfield Thick Cut Cherrywood Bacon) for us to enjoy midway through our hike or after we are done, because the last time I didn’t pack a picnic lunch, we came home and almost finished a whole pan of this eggplant curry! […]
What a beautiful curry! I love eggplants with a passion, so this dish is definitely something for me.
So glad you both made it to the top of the Brasstown Bald summit and were able to share those views with us Shashi, thanks!
And then I’m equally glad that you’ve also shared another curry with us, and a delicious eggplant (aubergine for us here in the U.K) one at that too!
We keep meaning to do more hiking this summer but just haven’t seemed to get around to it. Maybe this will be the push I need!! Although I will admit that I’ve been hiding out inside from the heat 🙂 haha And this curry sounds so comforting and delicious!!
So glad you are enjoying every little last minute with your daughter before she springs the nest. After a rainy hike a delicious spicy curry is just what you need to nourish.
Kinda funny that you checked the weather where you are not where you were going….something like I’d do, lol 😉 I totally agree that most times it’s about the journey, not the destination! Boy, oh, boy, does this one look good, Shashi! You may know that this chick loves her some curry so I could eat the whole pan of this…well, maybe not in one sitting, but you get the point 😉 And I would use lots and lots of naan for wiping the bowl clean. SO good! Wish I had this for dinner tonight! Have a lovely week, my friend ! xo
Oh man, that totally stinks that it was raining up there at Brasstown Bald…but how awesome that Lil Shashi just pointed out that the journey itself is sometimes better than the destination. Good for you gals for making it up there! (We had a friend back in Atlanta who was determined to reach the highest points in all 50 states. I wonder how he’s doing on that goal now…) This curry sounds pretty much like my comfort food heaven! And after spending a day in the rain, this one would be calling my name for sure! Hope your week is off to a great start, Shashi!
Beautiful forest shots, Shashi. Have never seen those eggplants over here…so cute and really just like eggs. The curry looks so very flavoursome and moreish.