Neela's Eggplant and Potato Curry

Friday 7 October

It's good to have a recipe from that nice Dr. Neela on ER.  No really, this is based on a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East vegetarian cookbook - but that makes far too little for a main dish for two, and is surprisingly bland.  We had to double the amounts and quadruple the spices.

1 lb. eggplant (can be more; we used 2.3 lbs. of Indian eggplants)

1 lb. yukon gold or other boiling potatoes

4 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. black mustard seeds

2 1/2 Tbsp ground coriander

2 Tbsp ground cumin

1/2 Tbsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. or more cayenne or (if you're fortunate) Chimayo chile pepper

1 Tbsp. salt

handful cilantro leaves, chopped

Peel the eggplant, and cut it and the potatoes into half-inch cubes.  Heat the oil to medium-high in a skillet.  Add mustard seeds; after a few seconds, when they begin to pop, add eggplant and potatoes.  Stir it around and add spices to a clear spot in the center; stir fry it all for a minute.  Slosh in about a half cup of water, cover, and lower heat; simmer 10-20 mins., checking occasionally to see that it isn't sticking. 

Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro.