Pan Fried Eggplant Curry (A Fusion Sri Lankan Recipe)
This Pan-Fried Eggplant Curry is a flavorful, thick curry in which chopped eggplant is pan-fried and then added to a deliciously spiced curry sauce. Vegan and gluten-free, this fusion Sri Lankan curry is a tasty side dish.
This pan-fried eggplant curry is an ode (of sorts) to my mom’s Sri Lankan eggplant curry, also referred to as brinjal curry.
My mom makes her curry by first chopping up the eggplant into strips. Then, she deep fries the chopped pieces of eggplant until they are golden brown. She sets the fried eggplant aside and begins to prepare a rich and tasty tomato curry with tamarind paste and spices. When the curry (or gravy or sauce) is ready, she adds the fried eggplant to the sauce and lets it simmer for a bit to thicken up.
To this day, I have not had an eggplant curry that could rival my mom’s. The eggplant curry here is similar to hers, but it is a healthier spin on her curry.
What makes me love this pan-fried eggplant curry
- This pan-fried eggplant curry is absolutely delicious.
- It is made with easy-to-find ingredients.
- It is dairy-free and gluten-free.
- And, it pairs well with rice, roti, quinoa, and more.
Ingredients
The 11 main ingredients needed are:
- A medium-sized eggplant
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Fresh ginger
- Ground coriander
- Smoked paprika
- Ground turmeric
- Ground cumin
- Chili powder
- Coconut milk
You will also need some Salt and black pepper to season this curry with.
And, optional ingredients include some chili flakes and fresh cilantro or curry leaves, which will serve as garnish.
Substitutions
- Eggplant
I used an American Globe Eggplant that yielded about 3-3.25 cups when cut up. An Italian eggplant, which is very similar to the American eggplant but smaller in size, could be used instead. By the way, 3 cups of eggplant cooks down to about a cup of eggplant.
- Extra virgin olive oil
This was for pan sauteing the eggplant. Instead of EVOO, coconut oil or vegetable oil could be used.
- Onion
I used a fresh onion. If you are not a fan of peeling and chopping an onion, most grocery stores have peeled and chopped onions in their produce section.
- Garlic Cloves
Fresh garlic adds flavor to this, and I would strongly suggest it not be substituted.
- Fresh ginger
As with the garlic, fresh ginger works best in this recipe. If you cannot find fresh ginger, then most stores sell peeled and diced ginger, which could be used instead.
- Spices
A combination of ground coriander, smoked paprika, ground turmeric, ground cumin, and chili powder worked best for me. However, the coriander, cumin, and turmeric can be replaced with curry powder.
Instructions
Step 1: I chopped up a medium-sized eggplant into fry-like strips. I also peeled and diced the onion, ginger, and garlic.
Step 2: Then I added a little bit of the oil to a large skillet and placed it over a stove set to medium heat. I didn’t want too much oil as I was trying to get the eggplant “fries” to develop a crispy-ish skin on the outside before I added them to a curry.
Step 3: I added the strips of eggplant to the pan and sautéed/pan-fried the eggplant
Step 4: I set the stove to medium heat and stirred the eggplant a bit. Eggplant tends to get mushy when cooked, so I was trying to get the eggplant “fries” to develop a crispy-ish skin on the outside before I added them to a curry.
Step 5: After the eggplant was sautéed / pan-fried, I set the pieces to drain off any excess oil on a paper towel and began the sauce.
Step 6: Then, I added a little more oil to the pan and added the chopped onion to it, and sauteed it until it was lightly browned. Then, I added the garlic and ginger to the onion and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
Step 7: I added in all the spices such as coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, and chili powder, and stirred this mixture a bit. As the spices roast, they will have your kitchen smelling amazing!
Step 8: I then added in a bit of coconut milk and stirred well.
Step 9: Then I added the eggplant into the curry sauce and let everything simmer for a bit over the stove set to medium-high heat. When the sauce had thickened a bit, I took this curry off the stove.
Cooking Hack
I use a bunch of fresh ginger and garlic in my recipes. Sometimes, if I know I’m going to have a busy week, part of my meal prep on the weekend includes peeling a bunch of garlic cloves and chunks of ginger and setting them aside in one mason jar so all I need to do is chop them up as needed during the week.
Sometimes, I go an extra step and chop up the garlic and grate the ginger, and store them in separate jars. I feel it’s just a fresher option than the peeled and chopped garlic and ginger at stores. And, it is also a lot more budget-friendly.
Serving Suggestions
This pan fried eggplant is delicious with roti or rice.
But, you can make it a meal by combining it with:
Lentil Spinach Curry, butternut squash curry, and rice for a vegan feast.
Chicken curry, cauliflower curry, and roti for a very satisfying meal.
Shrimp curry, okra curry, and wild rice for a tasty supper.
Or, toss it into a bowl with some za’atar quinoa, some navy bean falafel, and shredded lettuce for a fun and tasty lunch.
No, you do not need to peel the skin off the eggplant to make this curry. As the eggplant is pan sauteed and then added to a curry sauce, it will be tender to eat.
Eggplant can be eaten raw, but in my opinion, it does not have a lot of flavor when eaten raw. However, when grilled and pan-sauteed, eggplant is so tasty.
This eggplant curry will last about 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Love eggplant? Then you might like these recipes…
Easy Oven Roasted Eggplant
Vegan Eggplant Rollatini Recipe
Spicy Roasted Eggplant Dip
Easy Eggplant Poblano Pepper Curry
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant (approximately 3 cups sliced)
- 4 tbsp. extra irgin olive oi
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
- 4 tsp coriander
- 3 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- OPTIONAL – chili flakes and cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the eggplant and cut into fry-size piece.
- Peel and chop the onion.
- Also peel and chop the garlic and ginger.
- Add 3 tbsp. olive oil to a pan and let warm up.
- Carefully add in the cut eggplant and stir around so all or most of the pieces have been coated with olive oil.
- Stir the eggplant around ever so often so the pieces can get a bit of a char. Pan fry eggplant for 20 minutes or until all have a bit of a charred slightly crisp exterior.
- Then, set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add the other 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the pan and add in the cut onion and saute for about 5 minutes until onions start sweating.
- Then add in the garlic and ginger and saute another 5 more minutes.
- Add in the coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and stir well.
- Then add in the pan fried eggplant and stir.
- Finally add in the coconut milk and stir until all the ingredients are mixed well. Cook a minute or two and remove from heat.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with chili flakes and cilantro.
We recently moved to Sri Lanka for work. I added curry powder instead of all of the different spices, and it turned out so delicious!
Mmmm, curry and eggplant — lovely combo of flavors. Terrific looking dish. Thanks!
Our new favorite way to enjoy eggplant in our house!
As someone who doesn’t LOVE eggplant but constantly buys it to try and persuade my taste buds, this recipe is delicious!! So full of flavor and maybe my new go to for eggplant preparation.
Oh, Shashi, this is absolutely gorgeous! And so easy, delicious and healthy, too – it just ticks all the boxes! And hey – great little tip on meal prepping ginger and garlic for hectic weeks by peeling a bunch on the weekend – super idea!
This is such a great way to use eggplant. So much flavour in this dish.
Yes indeed I bet your home does smell amazing! This looks to die for! All that spice is making my hungry!!
I love a good eggplant curry and the flavors in this were so good! Plus it was super easy to make
This looks droolworthy! I love curry, but still haven’t tried one with just eggplant…fascinating and yummy!