BREADED AUBERGINE IN CURRY SAUCE
I’m a bit late to the party with this one, I’ve been seeing breaded aubergines in some sort of sauce all summer. Finally, I made it and it’s everything I dreamed it would be!
Textures, rich curry sauce, the peanuts add a nice depth and work with the sweetness of the curry. Basil brings a brightness, I also had this with fresh shiso - if you can get hold of it, definitely give it a go.
Catching the last of the aubergines here. I’ll be continuing to enjoy summer produce as long as I can, especially with this Indian summer we're having - long may it last!
Enjoy this with rice, some greens, or both. The recipe is made with Indonesian flavours in mind, Mem told me it tasted like home so I think I got there.
BREADED AUBERGINE IN CURRY SAUCE
Ingredients
2 medium aubergines
2 tbsp coconut sugar
400ml tin coconut milk (I like Aroy-D or Chaokoh)
4 tablespoons oil (I use cold-pressed rapeseed oil or coconut)
40g breadcrumbs to coat the aubergine (see notes)
salt
Spice paste
120g shallots, peeled and halved
150g red chillies, destemmed and deseeded (deseed all of some depending on your heat level preference)
40g garlic, peeled
4 makrut lime leaves, destemmed (2 in the paste, 2 finely sliced to finish)
2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves and tops trimmed (approx 20g end weight)
10g ginger
5g (½ teaspoon) salt, plus more to taste
60g oil (I use cold-pressed rapeseed oil, don’t use coconut oil here)
To Finish
40g roasted, chopped peanuts (see notes)
15g basil, leaves picked
Method
Firstly burn the aubergines. If using a gas hob or BBQ, place the aubergines directly over the flames or on the BBQ grill. Roast for about 12 minutes, turning frequently with metal tongs, until the skin is blackened all over.
If you don’t have a gas hob, prick the aubergines all over and place them on a foil-lined tray under a very hot grill. Grill, turning occasionally, for about 30 minutes. The aubergines should deflate and the skin should be charred all over.
Allow to cool while you make the spice paste.
To make the paste, place all the ingredients for the spice paste (shallots, chillies, garlic, 2 makrut lime leaves, lemongrass, ginger, salt and oil) into a blender. Blend until smooth.
Heat a medium pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add the paste and cook, stirring regularly for 10 minutes. Add the coconut sugar and cook for another 10 minutes until the paste reduces and darkens.
Stir in the coconut milk and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Add the remaining 2 finely sliced makrut lime leaves, taste for seasoning adding more salt if needed.
Once the aubergines are cool enough to handle, peel off the blackened skin, keeping the stems intact. Set them in a sieve over a bowl to drain off any excess liquid.
Prepare your breadcrumbs if you're making them from scratch. See notes.
To bread the aubergines, flatten the aubergines slightly and sprinkle each side with salt. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and press the aubergines into the breadcrumbs, coating both sides.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot fry the aubergines for about 4 minutes on one side until the breadcrumbs are golden, then turn and cook for another 3 minutes.
To serve, spoon the curry sauce into a deep dish and place the breaded aubergines on top. Garnish with roasted peanuts and basil leaves.
Notes:
Roasting Peanuts:
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Spread the peanuts on a baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes until deep golden. (I like to roast nuts on a lower heat for a more even roast). Once cooled, roughly chop. I usually do extra because they’re very useful to have to hand for quick meals, like these noodles, where some roasted peanuts would elevate your dish.
Breadcrumbs:
I usually make a batch of breadcrumbs when I have some slightly older bread to reduce waste. Even if you’re using fresh bread, you can make more than you need and store any extras in an airtight container in the freezer for future use.
Simply blitz bread in a food processor to make a fine crumb.
