What I love about this eggplant balti recipe (Indian curry dish) is how perfectly the different elements complement each other. The garlic cashew sauce is cooling, the eggplant balti is hot and spicy and the cauliflower rice is aromatic and nutty. Another thing you’ll find is that you can mix and match the different elements as you please. The cashew sauce is a great dipping sauce and the cauliflower rice complements stews and tagines as well. Give it a go and you'll see how easy it can be to make a balanced and delicious curry-based dish.
YIELDS
4 servings
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- Eggplant Balti
- 2 Eggplants
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 White onion
- 10 Cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon Dried coriander
- A couple of Dried chilies
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- Rice
- 1 Small cauliflower
- 1/2 cup Pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Curry powder
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1/2 tablespoon Olive oil
- Cashew Sauce
- 1 cup Cashews
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 150 ml Water
- 1/4 cup Coconut yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Curry powder
Directions
Eggplant Balti
1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Cut the eggplants in half, slash them diagonally with a knife then brush them with olive oil and place onto a baking tray.
2. Bake the eggplant for 40 minutes.
3. Cook the chilli, onion, cumin seeds, cumin, garlic, ginger, coriander and curry powder in a pan on high heat for a couple of minutes until the onion becomes soft.
4. Spoon the softened eggplant out of their skins, cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters and add them both into the pan. Use a spoon to mash the eggplant and tomatoes together.
5. Add in the tomato paste and water and stir for a further five minutes until the tomato is cooked through.
Cauliflower Rice
1. Cut up the cauliflower and blitz it in a food processor until it’s formed a rice-like consistency. Then, put it in an oven tray.
2. On to the cauliflower, sprinkle olive oil with the cumin, cumin seeds, curry powder and pine nuts. Mix it all together.
3. Bake the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes.
Garlic Cashew sauce
1. Place the cashews into a bowl of hot water, cover with a lid and wait around 10 minutes, then drain. (This is to ensure the cashews will be soft and easy to blend).
2. In a food processor, blitz together the cashews, coconut yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup and curry powder until smooth.
3. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill. Serve alongside the cauliflower rice and balti.
Also by Hannah: Vegan Mushroom And Ale Pie
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Photo: Hannah Roberts
