This eggplant and tomato braise has been a staple at our place for a good year or so. I started making it when we lived in Jakarta as an excuse to test out the local eggplants, which were so foreign to the purple eggplant I grew up with.
The dish itself is very easy to prepare, and low maintenance in terms of cooking. It’s a great one for a weekend when you have house work to do, as you can go back and check on the braise in between tasks.
Ways to serve the eggplant and tomato braise are endless. It’s a dish that works very well with couscous (pictured here), as well as on mash, rice and grains in general. It’s a great base to add an egg or two shakshouka-style, or simply as a topping on toast with some grated parmesan cheese.
Enjoy and let me know what you think! JC x
Eggplant and Tomato Braise
Serves 3-4
1-2 large ripe tomatoes or the equivalent in cherry tomatoes, diced
5 baby Thai eggplants, seeded and sliced into crescents
3 Thai long green eggplants, sliced into sticks 1.5cm thick and 5cm long
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 large shallots, finely diced
100-150ml water
200ml Passata
Basil or Holy Basil, small handful
1/2 tsp grounded turmeric
1 tsp grounded cumin
1/2 – 1 tsp paprika
Coriander to garnish, generous palmful
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying
Heat a medium sized frying pan with oil (medium to high heat)
Add the garlic and eggplant and fry until the eggplants soften and brown
Add the tomatoes, hand tear the basil and mix through, once they soften add the passata and stir through 100ml of water
Mix through the spices, salt and pepper and turn the heat down to low for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has reduced to an even, gravy like consistency
Adjust seasonings according to taste (you may like to add some chili for example) then once ready, add fresh coriander to serve. Simple, flavoursome and easy – enjoy!
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