Eggplant with Tomato, Garlic and Mint
Happy New Year to all of you! Hope you have had a wonderful start!
Allow me to begin the year with a light refreshing recipe. The over indulgence of the past couple of months have left me with not just a few extra pounds but also a kind of aversion to food and cooking, which in a way is a good thing; less appetite is exactly what I need right now.
The holidays were well spent with my little family. The girls and A are back to school and work and the house was too quite to be for real. I have a confess that I did miss all the laughter and the silliness that went around for the past few weeks. We did eat out a lot, so I took a good break from the kitchen. The new year’s eve was quietly spent between the four of us at home, with some movies. And I cannot believe that we just left another year behind us.
Now to begin the new year, we have decided to go light for sometime or at least until we shed the extras and get back the urge to explore more.
This winter has been really pleasant and mild so far and the mints in my yard are alive green and dancing in the sun. This is so much like a light spring recipe, and an easy one too. A lot of fresh mint muddled with garlic, pepper and coriander…
a handsome eggplant, (try to get one with less seeds)…
and a few minutes in the pan, results in a delectable side dish or to have in a wrap or sandwich or even on pasta. Some toasted pine nuts sprinkled on the eggplants would have enhanced it a little bit more, but I realized that only after we were done eating.
Eggplant with Tomato, Garlic and Mint
Ingredients: (serves 3-4 as a side)
- 1 medium eggplant/brinjal/aubergine, (or 2 long Chinese eggplant) – sliced into 1.5 inch long and 1/4 inch thick strips or into 1/3 inch thick circles
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 green chili pepper, (you can use the spicy ones if you want more heat)
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, divided
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 large onion, (1 cup approximately – sliced) – sliced into thin half moons
- 1 large tomato, grated or very finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons oil
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- some toasted pine nuts, optional
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder, optional
- some more fresh mint leaves for garnish
Method:Wash and slice the eggplants. Sprinkle a lot of salt on the slices, toss well for the salt to cover the surfaces of the slices and allow them to sit for about 30-45 minutes in a colander. This will take out the bitterness from the eggplants. Rinse well and squeeze out the water from them.
Pound or process the garlic cloves, coriander seeds, chili pepper and 1/4 cup mint leaves into a coarse paste. Shred the rest 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves and set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the onions and cook until they are softened and starting to turn golden. Add the rinsed and well drained eggplants to the pan. Add salt, turmeric and chili powder. Cook on high heat while stirring constantly to prevent sticking at the bottom of the pan. When the eggplants start to have brown spots at the edges, add the mint coriander garlic paste and the tomatoes. Stir everything in, lower the heat and cover the pan.
Cook covered until the eggplants soften and are cooked through. The cooking time will vary with the kind of eggplants you choose.
Uncover and cook, while stirring and tossing; if the spice mix sticks to the pan, add a splash of water. Cook until the mix dries off and there is only enough water for the spices to coat the eggplants. Adjust salt. Stir in the shredded mint and the toasted pine nuts if you are using them.
Remove from heat. Garnish with more mint and serve warm with flat breads or over rice/pasta.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes + 30 min. – 45 min. standing time
Cooking Time: 15 minutes approx.
Serves: 3-4 as a side
Related Posts:
Baingan Patiala (Spicy Stir Fried Eggplants)
Eggplant/Brinjal with Poblano Peppers
That is INSANELY gorgeous! It’s welcome in my mouth at any time.
What a beautiful flavorful dish!
I can smell this here! And its delectable!
Mmmhhh, delicious! That is a mouthwatzering combination.
Cheers,
Rosa
Happy New Year Soma. I need such simple recipes to overcome the food overdose I had in India.
this eggplant dish sounds so so good and looks fantastic! eggplant and mint, i gotta try this combo!
Looks like you had a great new year with yoru family Soma. I like the sound of this dish immensely. So many great ingredients, especially love the mint!
This looks very quick and delicious. Eggplant and mint is a very unexpected combination. Sounds interesting.
Happy New Year, Soma! Oh, this dish speaks to me. I love eggplants so much I grow them in hedges. They are so beautiful and YUMMY! And tomatoes, I can just go on and on.
I have to Tweet you how my winter mint is doing ;-).
Sound lovely! I love anything with eggplants!
lovely dish. i am a big fan of eggplant. must make this..
Happy New Year Soma 🙂 I hope and wish that you and your family keep rocking and keep smiling all the time.. LOADS and LOADS of love and best wishes dearies ! 🙂
This dish sounds perfect for me. A light meal is all I need these days to loose all the extra pound I gained in the last two months LOL. I like the idea of enjoying it with pasta .. got to try it.
Soma, the photos are gorgeous and make the food look fabulous even before realizing that the flavors are ones I would love. Perfect and perfect for a cozy winter meal. Happy Happy & Healthy New Year to you all! xo
Happy New Year to you too my friend! I hope this year is full of delicious food and a lot of cooking 🙂
I havent checked mint in my backyard. Maybe they are alive too 🙂 If they are then I am making this right away since I have Italian Eggplants that I bought from Sprouts.
Lovely. As you must know we are all crazed for aubergines here and I love this version. You should have been there on twitter when aconversation ensued with Deeba and all. Miss you girl!
Eggplants are so beautiful and they taste fantastic, your dish seems pretty good!
Wonderful dish, Soma! Love all the spices you used.
gorgeous clicks as always soma.. a very happy new year to you and your family!
What a gorgeous recipe! I love eggplant, and it is so filling and healthy. Perfect for starting 2012 off.
Soma this is beautiful and eggplant is always so delicious. Great job!
Happy New Year, Soma! What a beautiful, tasty dish for the new year. I could use a few healthy ideas and I love eggplant so this is a winner for me. Hope you have a wonderful 2012!
How perfectly delicious! I’ll have to remember this lovely recipe in summer, when good eggplants and mint are easier to find here.
Happy New Year to you and your little family. Ahh The holiday foods, we cannot escape. That is a beautiful brinjal picture Soma, wish you many more delicious food in 2012 🙂
Just mouthwatering…looks so easy to prepare & delicious!
looks so earthy & delecious! i love eggplants. this is an interesting flavour profile 🙂
Happy new year to you and your family.I also prepare this type of eggplant dish but without mint as my husband doesnot like it.
Over here we’re also looking at some lighter dishes to shed the extras so this sounds like a delicious recipe to try Soma! I’m not sure if I’ve said it before but wishing you and your family all the best in 2012!
This looks fantastic — love this soft flavorful treatment for eggplant! Happy New Year!!
Lovely clicks again Soma. I love the eggplant and mint combuination and it looks very flavourful and yummy. Love the little kadai and please please please tell me where you found this lovely burlap !!!
Shobha
Thank you! I got the burlap from a local nursery LOL. i went to get plants and spied it in one of the aisles. But you will get it in any fabric store; probably a better place to buy:)
Not a great fan of aubergine but you do make it look (and sound) delicious.
Thanks for this recipe. Tried it and came out delicious. Wonderful flavors
I can’t wait to give this a try. I have a garden with eggplant this year and am soon my best to eat healthy veggies from my garden. This looks great!