Cape Malay eggplant and spinach curry

A Cape Malay curry traditionally has its own special masala spice mix, giving it a unique flavour in the world of curries. For added convenience, try using frozen spinach cubes instead of baby spinach leaves in the sauce.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg eggplant, cut into 4 cm pieces
• ⅓ cup sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)
• 1 tsp each cumin seeds and mustard seeds
• ¼ cup curry leaves
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 ½ tbsp garam masala
• 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 truss tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 400 ml can coconut cream
• 100 g baby spinach leaves (or 100 g frozen spinach cubes)
• Flatbreads or rice, coriander leaves, to serve

For the curry leaf cashews

• ¼ cup (60 ml) sunflower oil
• ¼ cup curry leaves
• ⅔ cup raw cashews, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Brush the eggplant with half the oil, then scatter over the prepared tray. Roast for 25 minutes, or until slightly charred and tender – but still holding their shape.
3. While the eggplant roasts, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened.
4. Add the garlic and ginger, garam masala and turmeric and cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until broken down slightly.
5. Add the roasted eggplant to the pan and stir to combine. Season with salt and add the coconut cream and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes, until reduced slightly, then stir through the spinach and remove from the heat.
6. To make the curry leaf cashews, heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add the curry leaves and cashews. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until beginning to blister. Add the garam masala and garlic and stir to combine, then remove from the heat. Cool, then drain the curry leaf cashews on a plate lined with paper towel.
7. Serve the eggplant curry with flatbreads or rice, topped with curry leaf cashews and sprinkled with coriander leaves.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.