Another weekend adventure in the foothills behind Quinta da Regalaria. It was a glorious day. Everything coming together spanning sky and earth. Beauty was everywhere. It was almost dark by the time we made our way back to the car, all of us exhausted from scrambling through brambly woods and overgrown paths, up and down hills, blissfully happy with nature’s gift and what we discovered.
And this is what we discovered,……our very own stage. And what a show it was!
spicy eggplant curry
Serves 4
This is a lighter Summer version of the spiced aubergine and sweet potato curry I posted a while back. A good way to use up eggplants in the garden. A very quick and easy meal served with brown rice or quinoa and a garden salad.
ingredients
¾ cup red lentils
1 medium aubergine
12 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp ghee/oil
3 cardamom pods
½ tsp turmeric powder
½-inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 -3 cups water
voggarane
1 Tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 curry leaves (optional)
1 tsp rasam powder
1 tsp tamarind paste
½ tsp jaggery/brown sugar
1 tsp fine rock salt
½ cup fresh coriander leaves
preparation
1. Rinse the dal until the water runs clean, then refill and allow to soak while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. First, prepare the aubergine. Peel the skin from the aubergine and cut into 1 cm circles, and then into small cubes. Place in a colander, salt well and set aside to draw out the bitter juices for 10 minutes, then pat the aubergine cubes with kitchen paper.
3. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces.
4. Place a heavy-bottomed cooking pot over medium heat, add ghee/oil and saute the aubergine until partially softened.
5. Add the tomatoes, cardamom pods, turmeric powder and ginger – simmer for 10 min with the lid on, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes soften and the flavours in the tomatoes intensify.
6. Drain the dal and add to the pot with 2 cups water – simmer for 20 – 30 minutes until the lentils are soft and broken down. You may need to add water depending on the consistency you desire.
prepare the voggarane
7. In a small pan, heat a little ghee, add the cumin seeds; when they darken a few shades, add the curry leaves and rasam powder.
8. Pour the voggarane into the dal, add the tamarind paste, jaggery and salt, stir through the fresh coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Optional to add a handful of spinach or kale and gently warm through.
Goodness shared from Stacey
