eggplant & peanut curry – Simple Meal Plans

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prepare ahead?

Curry tends to improve with a day or two in the fridge. So feel free to make in advance and gently reheat before serving.

You could also make the curry paste in advance and either freeze for a few months or keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

variations for fun

carnivore – replace eggplant with chicken or pork. Or add as well as

the eggplant. peanut free – replace peanuts with other nuts such as cashews or macadamias.

sesame-free – replace sesame seeds wtih extra peanuts. chunky – leave the peanuts out of the spice paste and add them to the pan when you’re adding the spice paste.

troubleshooting guide

bitter – if the spice paste gets burned the curry will end up being bitter.

eggplant not tender – Depending on the size of your eggplant, it can take longer to cook. Make sure it feels soft and silky, before you serving. There’s nothing worse than undercooked eggplant. no chilli flakes? – If you can’t find dried chilli flakes you could crumble dried chillies with your hands and use that instead. Or substitute in half the amount of dried chilli powder.

troubleshooting guide

no curry leaves? – While curry leaves have a wonderful fresh curry flavour, you can do without them or use coriander (cilantro) instead.

not hot enough – see above regarding chilli variability. Serve extra dried chilli powder or chilli flakes so your guests can adjust the heat level themselves.

too thick – the peanuts in the sauce do make for quite a chunky texture. If you’d prefer it a little less thick, just add some water.

bland – if your spices are old, they may not have as much flavour. Next time add a little more spice or splurge on some fresh spices. Seasoning with salt and pepper is also important to optimise curry flavour.

gritty – if your paste isn’t pureed enough – you can get gritty pieces in the curry – if it bothers you you could fish out the eggplant pieces and puree the finished sauce.