Easy Aubergine Balti

An easy aubergine balti that's packed with flavour and simple to make with a few ingredients. Perfect for curry night at home. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

AUBERGINE BALTI

You are going to love this aubergine balti.

It's packed with flavour and there isn't that dreaded list of ingredients as long as your arm, which can be so off-putting when you find just the recipe you want.

It's fresh and tasty. Miles away from takeaway curries which are swimming in that generic sauce used for 20 different dishes and overloaded with fatty sauce.

This is how a curry should be and we can thank the Curry Guy for it.

The Curry Guy - Dan Toombs

This aubergine curry comes from the new cookbook by the Curry Guy aka Dan Toombs.

Dan is a fellow blogger who has been sharing tasty but easy Indian recipes over on his blog The Curry Guy for years and he has quite a few books under his belt now.

He covers everything from Authentic Indian recipes to restaurant style dishes including curries; dosa; chutney and pickles; raita; rice dishes; samosas; breads and drinks.

The Curry Guy - Veggie

The lastest offering from Dan Toombs celebrates all things vegetarian with a collection of over 100 easy to make Indian vegetarian recipes.

It's call The Curry Guy Veggie.

And it's not just curries either, although there is a fabulous variety of curries.

What's inside the cookbook?

Chapters

1. Snacks and Starters - including bombay mix, spicy popcorn and samosas
2. Street Food - including wraps, toasties and burgers
3. Curries - including a good variety of easy curries
4. Dosas, Idlis and More - including a variety of recipes using Dan's basic dosa batter
5. Outdoor Cooking - including pizza, naan bread and vegetables cooked on a BBQ
6. Accompaniments and Side Dishes - including fries, chutney, pickles and raita
7. Bread and Rice - including naan bread, parathas, chapattis and rotis
8. Desserts - including ice cream, sweet samosas, sweet dosas and kulfi

Recipes to look out for

1. Smoked Toor Dhal Samosas
2. Mumbai Toastie
3. Creamy Vegetable Curry
4. Balti Dhal Fry
5. Broccoli Curry
6. Tandoori Mushrooms with Paprika Sauce
7. Spicy Cashew Dip
8. Garlic Naans
9. Apple Pie Samosas
10. Banana Dosas

Vegan recipes

This rather fabulous cookbook has 103 easy recipes.

63 recipes are vegan, but many that are not suitable for vegans could be easily tweaked, by using dairy-free spread, dairy-free yoghurt and cheddar, substituting paneer with tofu and using dairy-free milk.

What do I think of the book?

I have to say I am seriously impressed. 

I have several Indian cookbooks and so many of the recipes have what seems like hundreds of ingredients and many I have never heard of or used before, but Dan keeps his recipes simple and I have most of the store cupboard ingredients and spices on my shelves already.

I like there is such a big variety of recipes to try and not just curries. I'll definitely dip into this more often because of that.

There are lots of full size glossy photos, which is a must in a good cookbook for me.

If you like Indian flavours and are vegetarian, vegan or want to cut down on how much meat you eat, then this is a good place to start.

Highly recommended.


The Curry Guy Veggie by Dan Toombs (Quadrille, £15) Photography © Kris Kirkham

What is a balti?

A balti is an Indian dish which is usually made with goat or lamb meat, but can be made vegetarian or vegan too with vegetables as the main ingredient.

It is eaten in north-west Indian and Pakistan and it's very popular in the UK.

The name actually refers to the flat bottomed wok a balti is cooked in rather than the ingredients. The dish is traditionally served in this wok or 'balti' bowl with naan bread for sharing.

A balti is stir fried in the wok quickly at a high heat and is often a drier curry with less sauce.

Love a balti? Try my quick roast veg balti, it's really delicious too.

Easy Aubergine Balti

This easy aubergine balti really lets the flavour of the aubergine shine through.

It's gutsy and full of flavour but not too hot.

Serve it with rice, naan bread and mango chutney.

Also, try Vegetable Sambar Curry.

Indian Recipes

If you like this balti recipe, you may also like to try my spinach and coconut dal, three tin tomato turmeric and coconut dhal, roasted vegetable vindaloo, slow cooker aubergine and onion masala, slow cooker vegetable and chickpea curry and that favourite side side saag aloo.

For a quick curry try this Mushroom, Potato & Aubergine Curry.

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dinner

Indian

Yield: 2

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum with kind permission

Easy Aubergine Balti

An easy aubergine balti with tomatoes and spices. A hearty but fresh curry suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 40 M

ingredients:

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 aubergine (eggplant)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• salt
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

instructions:

How to cook Easy Aubergine Balti

1. Preheat your oven to it's highest setting, rub the aubergine with 1/2 tsp oil and place on a roasting tray. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until the skin is starting to blister and blacken.
2. Transfer the aubergine to a chopping board and slice in half lengthways. Scoop out all the flesh, discarding the skin. Cut the aubergine into cubes and set aside.
3. Heat the rest of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. When hot, toss in the cumin seeds. Temper the cumin in the oil for about 20 seconds.
4. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, until soft translucent and starting to brown. Stir in the chill and garlic and onion paste. Fry for a minute or two, then add the chopped tomatoes.
5. Add the dry spices while stirring, then add the aubergine. Let the aubergine cook until soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.  For about 3-5 minutes.
6. Season with salt and taste to check the seasoning.
7. Garnish with the coriander and serve.
8. Enjoy!

Calories
623.22

Fat (grams)
38.09

Sat. Fat (grams)
7.33

Carbs (grams)
53.84

Fiber (grams)
11.29

Net carbs
42.55

Sugar (grams)
17.45

Protein (grams)
23.23

Sodium (milligrams)
1554.78

Cholesterol (grams)
50.66

Created using The Recipes Generator

Disclosure: I was gifted a copy of The Curry Guy Veggie so I could write a review. I wasn't expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.