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Eggplant-Shallot Stew
Eggplant-Shallot Stew
4 Reviews
From: EatingWell Magazine, Winter 2004
This simple combination of coarsely mashed eggplant and shallots makes a quick vegetarian side dish or main dish.
- By: Raghavan Iyer
Ingredients 6 servings
for serving adjustment
Serving size has been adjusted!
Original recipe yields 6 servings
Nutrition per serving may change if servings are adjusted.
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 dried red chile, such as Thai, cayenne or chile de arbol
- 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate, or juice of 1 large lime
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seed
- 1½ pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (6 cups)
- 1 cup thinly sliced shallots, (about 3 large)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
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Active
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Ready In
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add coriander seeds and chile; toast until the coriander turns reddish brown and the chile is slightly blackened, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon, transfer spices to a plate to cool. Grind in spice grinder or mortar and pestle until the mixture is the texture of coarsely ground black pepper.
- Dissolve tamarind concentrate (or lime juice) in water. Reheat the oil over medium-high heat; add mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to pop, cover the pan. As soon as the popping stops, add eggplant and shallots; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tamarind (or lime juice) mixture, salt and the ground spices; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the eggplant is fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Coarsely mash the stew with a potato masher. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
- Serving size: generous ½ cup
- Per serving: 75 calories; 3 g fat(0 g sat); 4 g fiber; 12 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 35 mcg folate; 0 mg cholesterol; 5 g sugars; 0 g added sugars; 388 IU vitamin A; 5 mg vitamin C; 29 mg calcium; 1 mg iron; 201 mg sodium; 366 mg potassium
- Carbohydrate Servings: 1
- Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, ½ fat
Reviews 4
October 22, 2012
By: EatingWell User
Could be better
I make this often though I do a few things differently. I don't ground the spices and I add curry powder (I make my own with turmeric, cumin, coriander seeds, and hot chili powder). Also, instead of putting the eggplant with the onions, I saute the onions until they are slightly brown and then add some tomatoes instead of tamarind. The mixture is cooked until tomatoes turn to mush and then I add eggplant. If adding tamarind, a bit of sugar is needed to counter the taste.
This is best served with naan bread or tandoori Roti with a plain lentil soup (split yellow peas boiled with salt and turmeric and then tempered with black mustard seeds and asafetida.)
Pros: Easy, simple, and fast
Cons: Needs a better balance of flavors
May 14, 2012
By: EatingWell User
Not Quite a Stew, Good as a Side
I made this purely out of curiosity, because I could not begin to imagine what it would taste like. To my surprise, it's pretty good! But I wouldn't really call it a stew - it's too sour (I used lime instead of tamarind - and contrary to the recipe, it was a small lime) and too heavily spiced and aromatic to be eaten on its own. In fact, the flavors almost completely overwhelm the taste of the eggplant, so you end up concentrating only on its texture. However, as a kind of pickle or chutney accompanying a curry (either meat or lentils would be nice), with a big dollop of yoghurt to the side, it would be great.
May 11, 2010
By: EatingWell User
Just submitted a comment and pressed "save" a little bit early...to finish up my comment after the word "Would," I wanted to add:
(Would) like to hear others' comments and serving/preparation suggestions.
May 11, 2010
By: EatingWell User
I would probably give this 3 1/2 stars if I could. Also, I did not have a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and I probably didn't grind the spices quite well enough. I tasted it just before mashing and it seemed a tad on the sour side for me, so I added a little bit of maple syrup to counteract that and bring back a little of the sweetness of the eggplant- just a tablespoon or so. When serving it I still felt it was lacking something so I tried a little feta cheese garnish along with the cilantro-- tasted pretty good. All in all, I didn't do too much to it and it was pretty good. Might experiment further with it when I've got more time/ingredients. Would
