Curried Eggplant & Cauliflower

I do believe that a person’s food preferences can change over time. Take the case of the vegetables, eggplant and cauliflower. Years ago, I would have quickly skipped including these vegetables in dishes. Now, I love both of them. “Curried Eggplant & Cauliflower” is an Indian-inspired dish. The curry powder, turmeric and mustard seed bring out the best in both of these vegetables. Cauliflower is in season in the fall and reasonably priced. Of course, I couldn’t resist purchasing a large head. I adapted a recipe is from a cookbook gifted to me by a friend who was clearing out her cookbook shelf — “The New Laurel’s Kitchen.” The volume was published in 1986 and was one of the first comprehensive and creative vegetarian cookbooks around. That makes the cookbook 40 years old. No longer “new;” rather it is now a vintage cookbook. However, the recipes in the cookbook are still “on task” — and I am enjoying making several quite unique recipes.

Recipe Inspiration

Down-sizing your kitchen is an admirable task — and my friend is busy thinning out her cookbooks. She offered me “The New Laurel’s Kitchen.” How can I say “no” to a cookbook. There are two editions of “Laurel’s Kitchen” with the first published in 1976 and the new, revised edition published in 1986. The cookbooks coincided with the rise of the vegetarian movement and natural foods interest in the 1970s, In those days, these two cookbooks were a mainstay for anyone interested in vegetarian cooking. Combined, the two editions sold over 1 million copies. The books are actually a combination of nutrition information and recipes. I didn’t delve into the nutrition component — at 40 years, the information could be outdated. However, the recipes are interesting and unique; they are still relevant. I appreciate the emphasis on whole grains and dried beans. There are plenty of recipes to keep me busy for awhile — such as vegetarian gumbo! It is important to note that some of the recipes contain eggs and buttermilk — the cookbooks are vegetarian and not vegan. Plus, for my meal, I added baked chicken; serving the “Curried Eggplant & Cauliflower” as a side dish.

One-Pot Dish

This is a “one-pot” recipe. It is easy to prepare. Basically, you just dump all the vegetables into the pot — after heating up the mustard seed — and let everything simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cauliflower is al dente. Easy!

Cooking the raw mustard seeds in hot oil first is important, Raw mustard seeds taste sharp and bitter. The hot oil makes them crack or pop, changing that harsh bite into a warm, nutty flavor. This is called “tempering” the mustard seeds.

Recipe Ingredients

I love both cauliflower and eggplant. Combining them into one recipe, along with Indian spices — mustard, curry and turmeric — sounds delicious. Here are the vegetable ingredients:

Although I included red bell pepper slices — mainly for color — I didn’t really think this added to the dish — next time I’ll probably eliminate this ingredient.

The ingredient list includes several Indian spices — mustard seeds, curry and turmeric — as well as lemon juice, salt and pepper. It is important to include vegetable oil in the list — to temper the mustard seeds — as well as additional water.

Making the Recipe

I love simple recipes — that’s my kind of dish when I’m not interested in using every pot and pan in my kitchen. Plus, our dishwasher is broken; so I have another incentive for making easy recipes. The process involves getting all the vegetables prepped and cut up. So, cut the cauliflower into florets. For this recipe, I peeled the eggplant first before cutting it into small dice. Also, I got the red bell pepper and tomato cut up.

Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Quickly add the lid. The seeds will pop and splatter so make sure you have a tight fitting lid in place. Remove the pot from the stove; then stir in the other spices. Add the cauliflower and coat with the spices. The add the eggplant and red bell pepper plus a little water.

It seems like there are alot of ingredients in the pot. However, the eggplant cooks down and everything eventually fits into the pot with the lid placed on tightly.

Let the mixture simmer with the lid on just the cauliflower is just al dente — barely tender when pierced with a knife. This doesn’t take long — 15 to 20 minutes at the most. Add water as needed so that the pot doesn’t become dry. However, the eggplant releases alot of liquid — so you don’t need much additional water. At the end, off the stove, add the chopped tomato and lemon juice concentrate.

I served this with rice. And, I couldn’t help adding oven-fried boneless chicken thighs to finish our supper. No longer a vegetarian meal — but it is a satisfying supper. The curry powder and turmeric really add a great flavor to this Indian-inspired dish.

Enjoy!