August’s Currypalooza recipe, chosen by Margie of More Please, features eggplant, which is appropriate considering we’re really at the height of eggplant season these days. Like last month, it’s a Madhur Jaffrey recipe, and again features yogurt in the sauce, which has an unfortunate tendency to break and make the dish look rather unappetizing.
It tasted great, though. Not too spicy, nor overly mustardy, but with a rich, complex flavor. The mustard seeds offered a nice textural contrast with the yielding eggplant. There were some interesting techniques in the recipe, too – crushing mustard seeds and mixing them with lots of water and a little cayenne to use as the base for cooking the eggplant was certainly an unexpected step, but I think it helped to infuse those flavors right into the vegetable.
To increase the spice factor of our dinner, I also made a spicy vegetable dal with green beans and carrots, and rounded out the meal with some steamed basmati rice.
Margie has posted the recipe on her site, along with her take on it. Rocquie of Sage Trifle has hers up as well, and check Needful Things later today for Grapefruit’s Currypalooza post.
I’m having a lot of fun with this Currypalooza so far. I love getting a new Indian recipe to try every month, and it’s interesting to see how everyone else fared with the same recipe. We often discuss it over email, sharing problems, ingredient questions, and the like, so it’s been educational, too. If you want to join us, let me know, and I’ll be sure to get you on the email list for next month – when I get to choose the recipe!
On this day in 2009: C’est Moi Le Chef! Strangely enough, I had a similarly frustrating experience today, where I had to wait for TWO HOURS after finishing my work before the sales rep came so I could place my order for next week.
Originally published on Croque-Camille.
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Oh, the aromas! I loved everything except the fenugreek 😦 & quite especially liked the addition of crushed cardamom and black pepper just before serving. I agree that simmering the eggplant in the mustard-cayenne-water mixture was really unusual yet such a wonderful way of getting that deep, mustard-ish flavor.
Can’t wait to see what you pick next month. Thanks for cooking along!
That plate of food looks so delicious. I wish I had cooked something green and spicy to go along with the eggplant. I am so glad you joined our group and I can’t wait to see what you pick for next month.
I mostly just like saying “curryalooza”. And think that you should do a French spin on this my adding cheese to every single recipe that’s chosen 😛
Currypalooza?! What an awesome idea! I’d love to join you next month for your recipe choice. I would never have thought to combine eggplant and mustard seeds but it sounds unusual and delicious.
Grapefruit – I loved it all! Thanks for organizing the event!
Rocquie – I like to have a mix of spicy and less-spicy foods on my plate, so I can balance the spice as I eat. Thanks, I’m excited, too!
Hannah – It is fun to say. You joke, but many Indian restaurants here do just that – put cheese all kinds of places it doesn’t belong. 😉
Ann – Goody! I wouldn’t have come up with it either, but it’s a very tasty recipe – I recommend giving it a try!
[…] up some leftovers, no waste. […]
I had curried eggplant yesterday…for brunch, with poached eggs, chermoula, and potato fritters…strange brunch, even stranger since I don’t eat eggs much, but the whole thing worked harmoniously. Anyway, back to you and your dish: fantastic.
hungry dog – Sounds interesting, but kind of wonderful.
Yummo! I am starving. Is there any leftovers? Currypalooza. Mmmmmm
Anna – Heh. I actually ate leftovers from this meal twice. 🙂
[…] the first Friday of the month, and that means it’s time for another Currypalooza! This time, I got to choose the recipe, and I picked Patra ni Macchi, a dish […]