Two simple eggplant recipes with similar ingredients but wildly different flavors. Coconut Curry and Caponata are perfect sauces for eggplant!
Happy Thursday! I have some big news for you guys!
I’m starting a mini-series called “Quick Swap“. Whenever you see those words in the title, the post contains recipes that are quick to make and showcase the versatility of a particular ingredient. I definitely know the feeling of seeing some new vegetable in the grocery store and wondering “How do I cook that?”. Or there’s also the more common feeling of picking up something I cook all the time but desperately craving a new spin on my cooking technique. So, these posts will give you more tasty food options for your busy life.
Each of these “Quick Swap” posts include 2 recipes! The preparation process is the same for both but the tastes diverge and you end up with 2 new options for your recipe arsenal : ). Variety is the spice of life after all! Plus all of these recipes will be quick and easy. After a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is wait for a 3 hour stew to cook. There’s no time for that on a weeknight!
This week’s “Quick Swap” key ingredient is EGGPLANT. Eggplant is extremely versatile. It tastes great baked, stuffed, fried, stewed…the list goes on. It’s also what I call the sponge of vegetables. Because it contains a lot of water, it also absorbs spices really well. Head over to my about me page to learn more about my love of spices! So today we have Eggplant Caponata and Coconut Curry Eggplant. I cut one large eggplant in half lengthwise and one half became caponata and the other curry!
The first non-Jamaican dish I learned to cook was chicken marsala. I think I was about 10 at the time and it was my favorite meal to cook for my family. Not sure why I was allowed to cook with wine at that age (Mom?!) but I’m super happy I was because my love affair with Italian flavors started to bloom. P.S. the alcohol cooks off in the cooking process, so it was just for flavor, not tipsiness : ) My take on eggplant caponata contains delicious ingredients like capers, tomatoes, golden raisins and fresh herbs. It’s great over pasta (I suggest brown rice spaghetti as a healthy swap!) as a vegan dinner or it also works great on it’s own as dip.
The coconut curry eggplant recipe is just because I Iove both coconut and curry. I don’t think I went a week without eating both as a kid. Coconut milk isn’t typically added to Jamaican curry dishes; potatoes are used to thicken the Jamaican curry instead of coconut milk. So this isn’t a traditional Jamaican curry dish, it’s more of a mashup of things that I think are tasty : ) I do use Jamaican curry powder in the recipe though. The best curry brand available in the U.S., in my opinion, is Salma. You can use any curry you like, but that’s definitely my favorite since it’s got a nice heat level to it.
Try out both recipes and let me know which one is your favorite in the comments below!
Recipe #1 :
Eggplant Caponata
Rate this Recipe:Ingredients
- 1/2 large eggplant
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 small sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 small tomato
- 1/8 cup tomato puree
- 2 tbs capers
- 3 tbs golden raisins, chopped
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbs parsley
Instructions
- Peel eggplant skin with a vegetable peeler. Chop into bite-sized cubes and sprinkle with salt. Place eggplant on a plate lined with paper towel. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes. The salt will draw out the excess moisture in the eggplant.
- Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Drizzle 2 tbs of olive oil into the hot pan. Add eggplant to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to give the eggplant a chance get golden brown, so don't stir the whole time.
- Add onion, tomatoes, tomato puree, capers, golden raisins, red pepper flakes, cocoa powder, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes until eggplant is tender. Garnish with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil (1 tbsp). Enjoy!
Recipe #2 :
Coconut Curry Eggplant
Rate this Recipe:Ingredients
- 1/2 large eggplant
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder my favorite brand is linked in the post
- 1 lime, juice only
- 1 jalepeno, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 1 small tomato
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 scallions, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel eggplant skin with a vegetable peeler. Chop into bite-sized cubes and sprinkle with salt. Place eggplant on a plate lined with paper towel. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes. The salt will draw out the excess moisture in the eggplant.
- Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil into the hot pan. Add eggplant to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to give the eggplant a chance get golden brown, so don't stir the whole time.
- Add curry powder, lime juice, jalepeno, tomato, coconut milk, maple syrup, scallions, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer on medium-low for 5 minutes until eggplant is tender. If the curry is too thick loosen with water, about 1 tbs at a time. Enjoy!
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