This Brinjal Curry/ Eggplant curry with potatoes and butter beans is exactly the kind of vegetable curry I love making at home.
Soft brinjal, tender potatoes and creamy butter beans are cooked in a rich onion and tomato masala with green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and garlic and my homemade Butter Chicken Spice Blend.
And yes, I know butter chicken spice sounds like an unusual choice for a vegetarian curry, but this is exactly why I love keeping homemade spice blends in my cupboard. A good blend does not have to be used for only one dish.
This one works beautifully with vegetables too.
The butter beans are optional, but if you know me, you know I will always find a reason to add beans to a curry.
Serve it with roti, naan or fluffy rice and you have a hearty meat-free dinner that is full of flavour.
Brinjal and potato are such a good combination in curry because they bring completely different textures to the pot.
The potatoes become tender and absorb the spices and tomato masala, while the brinjal softens and almost melts into the sauce.
That contrast makes the curry feel much richer than the ingredient list suggests.
If the amount of oil looks slightly generous for a vegetable curry, there is a reason.
Brinjal loves oil.
It absorbs quite a bit during cooking, especially in the early stages, and that helps give you that lovely soft texture later.
You do not need to drown it in oil, but using too little can leave the brinjal looking dry rather than silky.
I use my homemade Butter Chicken Spice Blend in this recipe.
Even though the name suggests one very specific dish, I use this blend in all sorts of curries because the spices work beautifully with vegetables too.
It gives the brinjal, potatoes and butter beans warmth and depth without needing a long list of individual ground spices.
The butter beans make this curry more filling and add a lovely creamy texture.
Because canned beans are already cooked, they go in later so they do not break down too much.
You can replace them with cannellini beans, sugar beans or another bean you enjoy.
Or leave them out completely, but if you love beans as much as I do, then check out these recipes with beans in it.
Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium to medium-high heat.
Add the sliced onion and fry for about 2 minutes.
Add the green chillies and a sprig of curry leaves.
Continue cooking for another 3 minutes until the onions begin to soften and take on a little colour.
Add the crushed ginger and garlic.
Mix well and fry for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the chopped tomatoes and a small handful of roughly chopped dhania (coriander).
Mix well.
Add the Butter Chicken Spice Blend and coarse salt to taste.
Cook for about 2 minutes so the spice blend has time to cook into the tomato and onion base.
Add a small splash of water if the masala begins to catch.
Add the quartered brinjal and cubed potato.
Mix gently so everything is coated in the masala.
Add a few more curry leaves.
Pour in approximately ½ cup water.
Cover the pot and cook for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
Stir gently from time to time.
Cook until the potatoes are beginning to soften and the brinjal is becoming tender.
Add the drained and rinsed butter beans.
Add another ½ cup water.
Reduce the heat and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender and the brinjal is soft.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Finish with chopped dhania.
Add chopped green chilli over the top if you want a little more heat.
Remove from the heat and serve hot with roti, rice or naan.
Add the water gradually rather than all at once.
Brinjal releases moisture as it cooks and the tomatoes also contribute liquid.
You want enough moisture for the potatoes to cook properly, but you do not want to turn this into a very watery curry.
The finished dish should have a rich masala coating the brinjal, potatoes and beans.
Cooking time will vary slightly depending on the type of potatoes you use, how large you cut them and even your altitude.
Use the timing in the recipe as a guide, but cook until the potatoes are tender rather than watching the clock alone.
If the potatoes need more time, add a small splash of hot water and continue cooking. Have you tried my Lamb and Brinjal Curry?
Yes.
I used about ½ cup canned chopped tomatoes because I had some left over.
A small fresh tomato, finely chopped, works just as well.
Let it cook down properly before adding the brinjal and potatoes.
Absolutely.
Butter beans are lovely because they are soft and creamy, but cannellini beans, sugar beans or chickpeas would also work.
Whatever canned bean you choose, drain and rinse it before adding it to the curry.
Yes.
The brinjal and potato curry is substantial enough without them.
The beans simply make the dish a little more filling and give you another texture in the pot.
A small splash of cream stirred through at the end makes the curry richer and softer.
You only need a little.
Stir chopped baby spinach through during the final few minutes of cooking and allow it to wilt into the curry.
Add extra green chillies or use a hotter spice blend.
Use cannellini beans, sugar beans, chickpeas or whatever you have in the cupboard.
Keep it simple with just brinjal and potato.
This curry is lovely with:
For me, warm roti is especially good because it scoops up that soft brinjal and thick masala beautifully.
Yes.
This curry keeps well and the flavours deepen once it has had time to stand.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge and reheat gently until piping hot.
The brinjal will become softer after reheating, which I actually quite enjoy in this sort of curry.
Add a small splash of water if the masala becomes too thick.
This is the kind of curry I love because you can make it exactly as written or change it according to what you have.
Use another bean, leave the beans out, add spinach, finish it with a splash of cream or turn the heat up with extra chillies.
The base stays the same: soft brinjal, tender potatoes and a good masala.
And yes, if I have a tin of beans in the cupboard, chances are they are going into the pot.
Other delicious recipes to try. Click on the image to get the recipe.
A hearty brinjal and potato curry with creamy butter beans, curry leaves, green chillies and a rich tomato masala. Easy, comforting and perfect with roti or rice.
BRINJAL:
I used medium brinjal and quartered them. Brinjal absorbs oil during cooking, so the amount of oil may look generous but helps create a softer texture.
POTATOES:
Cooking time will vary depending on the variety and size of your potatoes as well as altitude. Cook until tender rather than relying only on the stated time.
TOMATOES:
I used ½ cup canned tomatoes because I had some left over. One small fresh tomato can be used instead.
BUTTER BEANS:
Butter beans make the curry more substantial, but cannellini beans, sugar beans or chickpeas can also be used. The beans can also be left out completely.
SPICE BLEND:
I use my homemade Butter Chicken Spice Blend. Despite the name, it works beautifully in many vegetable and meat curries.
WATER:
Add water gradually. You want enough liquid to cook the potatoes but the finished curry should have a thick masala rather than lots of gravy.
CREAM:
For a richer curry, stir through a small splash of cream at the end.
SPINACH:
Chopped baby spinach can be added during the final few minutes and cooked until just wilted.
HEAT:
Adjust the green chillies according to your preferred heat level.
