Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Curried Vegetables

This space will likely be rather quiet until the new year as I spend time with my family and recover from a particularly stubborn and nasty chest cold.

In the meantime, I want to share my latest experiment with eggplant. This spicy, stuffed and baked dish makes for a most satisfying vegetarian meal, especially when served with a steaming hot bed of rice. It is rather easy to prepare and yet another excuse to warm the kitchen and your body too because it has some extra kick to really highlight the eggplant and vegetables that make up stuffing.

You likely will have more filling than you need, depending on the size of your eggplants. If you do, serve it along side the stuffed eggplant or save it for the next day and serve over a grain of your choice.

Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Curried Vegetables (Baingan ka Tikka)

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Indian Published on December 22, 2012 Baked eggplant stuffed with spicy curried vegetables and mushrooms — a great side dish or light dinner Print this recipe Ingredients: 2 small eggplants (1 pound or 450 g) 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 2 teaspoons toor dal, rinsed (optional) 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or grated 2 or 3 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon garam masala 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pinch of asafetida (optional) 2 cups button mushrooms, chopped 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped 1 cup fresh or frozen peas 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste Instructions: Wash the eggplants, cut of the stems, and slice them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp out into a small bowl, leaving about 1/4-inch of the flesh around the skin, taking care not to puncture the skin. Roughly mash the pulp and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400° and grease a broiling pan or baking sheet. Lightly salt the eggplant skins and place them face down on the prepared pan. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven until just tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. To prepare the filling, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, toss in the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and toor dal if using. Stir for 30 seconds or until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to splutter and pop. Add the onion to the pan and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion begins to soften and brown around the edges. Now add the garlic, ginger and chilies, stir for another minute, then add the spices and asafetida if using and continue to stir for another minute or until the spices are fragrant. Turn the heat up slightly and add the mushrooms. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes and then add the tomatoes and simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the eggplant pulp, fresh peas if using, and simmer for another 5 minutes. The eggplant should be just tender. If you are using frozen peas, add them now and simmer for another few minutes. Stir in sea salt to taste and remove from the heat. Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a baking dish with oil. Fill each of the eggplant skins with a generous amount of the filling and transfer to the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and the skins have blackened a little. Remove from the oven and Sserve hot with a grain side and a leafy green salad. Makes 4 servings

More eggplant dishes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you may enjoy:
Baked Gingered Chickpea Stew with Eggplant and Spinach
Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto
Stuffed Eggplant Poriyal