45 Min

GF

Eggplant Sabzi

Eggplants are having a moment in Houston, just about every farmer’s table is bursting with varieties of these purple berries, from the large heirlooms to the tiny little green eggplants. Eggplant is one of the few vegetables which, when cooked right, can give me the satisfaction of meat. And when paired with the aromatic flavors of Bengal, the lush eastern state of India with dense coconut groves and fields bursting with greens and vegetables, eggplant can truly be a thing of beauty.

Today, I bring you a humble eggplant sabzi (sabzi simply means cooked vegetable in Hindi). Cooked with pungent mustard oil, which is often considered Bengal’s olive oil and hints of cumin and jaggery, this sabzi can be enjoyed over rice, with rotis or other flatbreads or over toast.

Share this recipe

Cook Time

45 Minutes

Serves

4

Directions

Step 1

Discard the stem then chop the eggplants into 4 pieces and in a medium bowl, toss them with salt. Let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain any liquid that may have collected on the eggplants.

Step 2

In a medium sized saucepan over high heat, warm the mustard oil and pop the cumin seeds. Immediately, add the minced onion and cook on medium heat until they are translucent and slightly brown.

Step 3

Add the salted eggplants and cook for a few more minutes, covered. Next add the turmeric, black pepper, tomatoes, yogurt and jaggery. Turn the heat down and let the mixture simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. The mixture will remain saucy, and the eggplants might dissolve a little into the sauce. Taste to see if the sabzi needs any more salt.

Step 4

Turn the heat off and sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Notes & Variations

For a dairy-free option, use coconut milk instead of yogurt.
Use olive oil or ghee instead of mustard oil, however, I would suggest also replacing the cumin seeds with mustard seeds.
Jaggery is raw unprocessed palm sugar – feel free to substitute with brown sugar or honey.

Ingredients

8 to 10 baby eggplants (roughly 1 pound)

1 teaspoon sea salt

4 tablespoons mustard oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cups minced onion

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup minced tomatoes

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt

1 tablespoon jaggery

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Step 1

Discard the stem then chop the eggplants into 4 pieces and in a medium bowl, toss them with salt. Let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain any liquid that may have collected on the eggplants.

Step 2

In a medium sized saucepan over high heat, warm the mustard oil and pop the cumin seeds. Immediately, add the minced onion and cook on medium heat until they are translucent and slightly brown.

Step 3

Step 4

Turn the heat off and sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

8 to 10 baby eggplants (roughly 1 pound)

1 teaspoon sea salt

4 tablespoons mustard oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cups minced onion

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup minced tomatoes

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt

1 tablespoon jaggery

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Notes & Variations

For a dairy-free option, use coconut milk instead of yogurt.
Use olive oil or ghee instead of mustard oil, however, I would suggest also replacing the cumin seeds with mustard seeds.
Jaggery is raw unprocessed palm sugar – feel free to substitute with brown sugar or honey.

Tags:

45 Min

Stock Your Pantry

Essential Masala Dabba

$235

A handmade spice box containing red chile, turmeric, black pepper, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, amchur and garam masala.

Tags:

45 Min

Stock Your Pantry

Essential Masala Dabba

$235

A handmade spice box containing red chile, turmeric, black pepper, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, amchur and garam masala.

Sabzi, sabzi, sabzi!

There's nothing better than a bowl of veggies, have your fill with these options below!

GUILTLESS MEALS

Zucchini Sabzi

Karela Sweet Potato Sabzi

60 Min

GF

Bengali Baby Eggplant Curry

Eggplants grown by a farmer from Congo in a curry made with poppy seeds native to Bengal, India comes together here in Houston, Texas. They are ready to be cooked in an African stew or a Bengali curry.

45 Min

GF

Bengali Indian Eggplants

These eggplants are native to India but can be found at Asian or Indian supermarkets in most major cities.

35 Min

DF

GF

V

Boronia

Eat it over warm toast, stuffed into an omelet or with roti or pita. It’s good warm, room temperature and cold.

55 Min

GF

NF

Roasted Eggplant with Cherries

This is a show-stopper. The eggplant is rich and savory from the ajwain and fennel while the cherries add a sweet, fresh brightness.

90 Min

GF

Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese & Yogurt

It’s almost the end of the local eggplant season in Texas, and I have been flush with hundreds of pounds to play with at the restaurant, courtesy of nearby Knopp Branch Farm. My favorite way to cook them is to smoke, mash and turn them into a pickle, masala or a spread. However, when cooking eggplants at home, I resort to simpler ideas, such as searing them on a skillet and finishing them in the oven. There are ample choices of what to top the eggplants with — cheese, herbs, chopped nuts, nut butter, yogurt, spices and more. I have tried them and love them all. When cooked perfectly, cutting into an eggplant almost feels like cutting into a good piece of meat.

20 Min

GF

Simple Smoked Eggplant

Eggplants are wonderful and versatile ~ they satisfy the meaty urge, taste good cold and can be seared, broiled, braised or smoked. During my years as the chef-owner of Indika restaurant in Montrose in Houston, I was forced to rein in an eggplant obsession when a cook pointed out that we had eggplant nine different ways on the menu - from pakora to pickle to raita. When it is eggplant season, there are plenty of varieties on farm-stand tables at local farmer’s markets. So, ignore the nightshade naysayers and cook this supremely simple smoked eggplant. Eat it with steamed rice or a roti. Or spread it on a warm toast the next morning and enjoy it for breakfast!

25 Min

DF

GF

V

Smoked Eggplant Dip

This dip is inspired by the traditional Baingan Bhartha, a Punjabi favorite smoked eggplant sabzi (aka, roasted vegetable dish).

60 Min

GF

Smoked Eggplant Masala

This recipe is inspired by the Punjabi “baingan bhartha,” which essentially translates into spiced eggplant hash.

25 Min

GF

V

Smoked Eggplant with Fig Masala

Smoking over a gas stove or an outdoor grill is the easiest and fastest way to cook eggplant – especially a heirloom variety with beautiful white pulp and minimal seeds.

40 Min

DF

GF

V

Smoked Eggplant with Kalonji

Eggplant charred on a gas stove top develops a smoky flavor and a perfect texture for a spread or a dip.

30 Min

DF

GF

NF

V

Simple Cauliflower Sabzi

Sabzi simply means cooked vegetable – this cauliflower sabzi is punctuated with mustard seeds and amchur, a dry green mango powder that adds a deeply flavorful sour flavor.

30 Min

GF

Punjabi Cauliflower Sabzi

I grew up eating tender braised cauliflower sabzis, usually mildly flavored with a pinch of turmeric, ginger and chili. If tomatoes were in season, they went in and if not, maybe some minced onion went in at the start. In southern India, cauliflower sabzi is often finished with freshly grated coconut. Most places of worship in India serve “langar” (a free meal at the end of pooja, a religious service), and cauliflower sabzi is a popular addition. Cauliflower farmers in India finely mince and braise the “jackets,” or the greens holding the head of the cauliflower, where most of the nutrients lie. Cauliflower season has started in Texas, and beautiful small, purplish tight white heads with green stalks have started appearing at farmers markets. These are in stark contrast to mass-produced massive cauliflower heads you often find in supermarkets and are well worth a trip to the market. But get there early; the good vegetables go first. Here is a preparation resembling the sabzis I grew up eating in India.

40 Min

DF

GF

V

Cauliflower Sabzi With Fennel and Cashews

Sabzi is Farsi for "greens" and universally refers to any warm vegetable dish.

15 Min

DF

GF

V

Pea & Potato Sabzi

35 Min

DF

GF

V

Boronia

Eat it over warm toast, stuffed into an omelet or with roti or pita. It’s good warm, room temperature and cold.

55 Min

GF

NF

Roasted Eggplant with Cherries

This is a show-stopper. The eggplant is rich and savory from the ajwain and fennel while the cherries add a sweet, fresh brightness.

Drinks

Drinks

Hot Drinks

Cold Drinks

Cocktails

Condiments

Condiments

Raita

Chutneys

Pickles

Masala

Grains

Grains

Buckwheat

Khichri

Millet

Noodles

Quinoa

Rice

Whole Grains

Dough

Dough

Roti

Paratha

Naan

Bread

Crackers

Pizza

Batter

Batter

Dosas

Pancakes

Crepes

Savory Baked

Savory Baked

Biscuits

Bread Pudding

Soups

Soups

Light Soup

Creamy Soup

Dal Soup

Stews

Cold Soup

Snacks

Snacks

Chaat

Spreads

Fried Snacks

Nosh

Legumes

Legumes

Dal

Beans

Salads

Salads

Veg Salads

Non-Veg Salads

Land & Sea

Land & Sea

Eggs

Birds

Meat

Fish

Shellfish

Paneer

Paneer

Paneer

Vegetables

Vegetables

Sabzi

Potatoes

Mushrooms

Eggplants

Cauliflower

Squashes

Root Vegetables

Vegetable Curries

Green Vegetables

Okra