Masala Stuffed Eggplant
"An adapted Crescent Dragonwagon recipe. I had the pleasure of staying at her B&B in Eureka Springs several times before she and her late husband closed it. I had never tasted such wonderful vegetarian cuisine in all my life. I have to have a free afternoon in order to make this but it is worth it to me. Excellent side dish or main dish."
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 18
- Serves:
-
4-6
ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes, well scrubbed and quartered (peel or leave the peels on)
- 2 medium eggplants or 3 small eggplants, halved lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon cumin seed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely minced
- 1 small fresh serrano chili pepper, seeded and finely minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds or 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1⁄2 lemon, juice of
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas, slightly mashed (I use well-drained canned)
directions
- Scoop out the pulp from the eggplant halves, leaving a 1/2-inch shell; coarsely chop the eggplant pulp; set aside pulp and shells.
- In a saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add in potatoes; cook for 15 minutes.
- Add in eggplant pulp, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and keep cooking for about 5 more minutes (potatoes should be tender, not mushy; eggplant is soft but not falling apart).
- Take pan off of heat; drain well and reserve 1/4 cup of cooking liquid.
- Let cool.
- Mash the potatoes and eggplant with a fork; don't want it too smooth, so leave some chunks for texture; set aside.
- Add cumin seeds to a large dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
- Toast for 2-3 minutes or until browned and aromatic; stir often; transfer toasted seeds to a small bowl.
- Allow the skillet to cool slightly; spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place over medium heat and add oil; tilt skillet to coat.
- Add in the onion; cook and stir for 7 minutes or until just starting to brown.
- Lower the heat slightly and add in the chile pepper, ginger, mustard seeds and toasted cumin seeds.
- Cook and stir often for 3-4 minutes or until the mustard seeds start to pop.
- Add in the cilantro, garam masala, salt, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne, and reserved cooking liquid; stir to combine.
- Add the potato-eggplant mixture, lemon juice, honey, and tomato paste.
- Lower the heat, cook and stir to heat thoroughly.
- Add the chickpeas and stir to combine.
- Season more to taste if needed.
- Take skillet from heat.
- Stuff eggplant shells with potato-eggplant mixture.
- Place stuffed shells in a 13x9 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400° for 45 minutes.
- Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top if desired and serve.
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Reviews
-
WOW! This was delicious and EASY! I halved the recipe, microwaved the potatoes and eggplant, used the spices I had on hand (ground cumin instead of cumin seeds, no mustard seeds), and served with a dollop of plain yogurt. My DH who claims to not like indian food gobbled this up. Thanks!
Tweaks
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WOW! This was delicious and EASY! I halved the recipe, microwaved the potatoes and eggplant, used the spices I had on hand (ground cumin instead of cumin seeds, no mustard seeds), and served with a dollop of plain yogurt. My DH who claims to not like indian food gobbled this up. Thanks!
