Get ready for Eggplant Chana Masala!
Where’s the sun? Where is it?
I’ve searched high and low but ohhh well, it seems I’ll have to wait a bit longer to feel the sand between my toes and the warm sea breeze… and until then there are always healthy Indian curries (and singing ‘Here comes the sun! na na na naaaa!’ at high volume) to cheer up the chilly nights.
This spicy little number was inspired by that magical Chana Masala Pizza and the creamy awesomeness of eggplant. Soaked in a spicy tomato sauce and served with steamed brown rice and fresh coriander leaves, it’s the perfect healthy indulgence. And did I mention a cinch to make and free of unhealthy fats, sugar and gluten?
You can even pair this with a delicious Frozen Mango Lassi mocktail if you’re feeling adventurous!
Treat yourself to organic chickpeas, beautiful; they’re so much softer and tastier. Any leftovers are happy in the fridge for a couple of days and taste great reheated, so don’t be shy about cooking up a big batch. Your family/friends/neighbours/postman/future self will love you for it.
xx
Eggplant Chana Masala
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil optional
- 2 small brown onions finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 large eggplant/aubergine
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup filtered water
- 3 cups organic cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if from a can)
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves chopped
Dried Spices
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Wash eggplant and (skin on) chop into 1 inch cubes. Discard both ends. Place cubes into a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in oil (or a splash of water) until translucent.
- Add garlic, ginger and eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
- Add dried spices and mix well to fully coat the onions and eggplant.
- Stir in the tomatoes, water and chickpeas. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from the stove. Stir in lemon juice and half of the coriander. Season with salt & pepper.
- Serve topped with coriander. Enjoy! xx
oooh i love chana masala with any veggies! My mom would wrinkle her cute little face for adding eggplant in her chana masala. but then she has her set of authentic age old indian recipes that she has been making since 30 years that no one can change up:)
hehe, Mums are so cute and I bet she makes a killer chana masala. 🙂
thanks for a great recipe! Just made it for my husbands work doubles. Definately a good recipe for the cooler days.
My pleasure, Jess. I hope you and your hubby enjoy it as much as we did. It definitely warms the tummy on those chilly days. 🙂
Lovely! I just made a big batch today, and had it for dinner. It was so good, I am going to have the rest tomorrow 🙂
Thanks for this recipe!
My pleasure, Edie! The flavour tends to be even better the next day too. Enjoy! 🙂 x
I made this a couple of nights ago – deeeelicious 😀
Oh so great to hear you loved it too, Hazel! 🙂
Oooh waw, Bex! This dinner looks stunning!
My dinner for tonight! Si I can use the last of my home grown aubergines! oooh yes! xxx
Ohhhh home-made aubergines! Now I really wish we lived closer! 😉 xx
Amazing! I just made this after a really long, rainy, cold day at work.. tastes fantastic! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Oh my pleasure, Cathryn. It’s a great one to soothe the winter blues. 🙂
Just made this on a slushy, chilly, colorado evening. It was delicious. I did add chili powder to spice mine up, and a touch of coconut milk. Pretty fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh, great idea with the extra chili and creamy coconut milk! I’ll have to give that a try. So happy to hear it warmed you up. 🙂 x
I love the sauce but I discovered that eggplant definitely does not cook in 15 minutes!
haha, oh noooo, Melissa – the eggplant definitely needs to be in the pan from the start. 25 mins all up. I hope you managed to salvage it. 🙂 x
That looks really good, Bex. I made chickpea “tuno” salad this weekend. I mashed up some cooked chickpeas and added hot chipotle salsa, celery, red onions, curry spice, salt, pepper, rosemary, and mixed it up really well. It was really yummy.
Looking forward to trying this recipe. Thanks for posting.
Oh wow, that sounds really good, Patricia! I’m going to try that too. How scrumptiously versatile are chickpeas. 🙂 x