Eggplant-Shallot Stew

Name: Eggplant-Shallot Stew
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 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; 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (6 cups); 1 cup thinly sliced shallots, (about 3 large); ½ teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Rating: 3.25 stars

4 Ratings
4 Reviews

This simple combination of coarsely mashed eggplant and shallots makes a quick vegetarian side dish or main dish. Source: EatingWell Magazine, Winter 2004

Raghavan Iyer

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Directions

Step 1

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.

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Step 2

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.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: generous 1/2 cup

Per Serving:

75 calories; 2.8 g total fat; 0.2 g saturated fat; 201 mg sodium. 366 mg potassium; 12.4 g carbohydrates; 3.8 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 2 g protein; 388 IU vitamin a iu; 5 mg vitamin c; 35 mcg folate; 29 mg calcium; 1 mg iron; 26 mg magnesium;

Exchanges:

1 starch, 2 vegetable, 1/2 fat

Reviews (4)

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4 Ratings

5 star values: 0
4 star values: 2
3 star values: 1
2 star values: 1
1 star values: 0

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EatingWell User

10/22/2012

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 Read More

EatingWell User

05/14/2012

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. Read More

EatingWell User

10/30/2011

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. Read More

EatingWell User

10/30/2011

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 Read More

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Eggplant-Shallot Stew

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Reviews (4)

All Reviews for Eggplant-Shallot Stew