Curried Eggplant and chickpeas

Well it is time to get rid of things in the fridge and cupboard. I have gotten things from my manager when he wants to throw things out and I get things from the supermarket across the street when they mark things down so much I take advantage.

The store across the street was getting rid of eggplants and marked them down to almost nothing. I like to get these items not just for the price, but to save them from the garbage. This store caters mostly to frozen pizza eating students. I know the eggplants are not likely to be used. There are exceptions to this but I wanted to make sure they weren't discarded.

My manager had a case of plum tomatoes that he wanted me to take but I didn't want to store a case of tomatoes in my fridge so I took a third of them. They were in the restaurant fridge too long.

The tomatoes were put in a blender and crushed than set aside in the fridge. With the eggplant and some of these tomatoes I decided on a curry also getting rid of some leftover chickpeas that I had used to make a hummus the other day for our picnic. I thought that some peas would be a good addition.

I went through the spices that I had and chose the ones that would likely go into an Indian style curry. Perhaps these spices are used in various cuisines around the world so I will say that this curry has no nation.

Eggplant chickpea curry

2 medium diced eggplant
2 cups chickpeas
2 cups fresh pureed tomatoes or chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 cups vegetable soup broth
2 cups green peas
4 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
3 red chilies
1 lime juiced

Spices

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
seeds from 3 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
2 tablespoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek powder
salt

I started with tempering the whole spices in oil on medium high heat. They started popping right away so I lifted it up from the burner. I find this satisfying to smell the aroma of the spices toasting.

After the seeds popped and browned I added the ground spices and made a paste to set aside.

To deglaze the pan of the spices I added the juice of a lime then added that to the paste.

Meanwhile I used a wok to make the curry since I don't have anything suitable to do in. Sometimes I do this in several pans then add it together in a pot, but I realized that a wok is perfect for many things including this.

I started with the onions browning in oil on medium high heat. I used to put it to the maximum at first but I always walk away and forget it.

After the onions, add the garlic, ginger and cilantro stems. Add in the spice paste, stir and cook.

Add the peas, chickpeas eggplant and tomatoes.

Add tomato paste, and peanut butter. These items were not planned. I decided last minute to add them for thickening purposes but it added to the flavor as well.

I was not totally satisfied with the heat level of the chilies and the chili powder so I threw in a few dried red chilies. It didn't really do much. If I had added them at the spice paste at first it probably would have increased the heat. It turned out fine anyway. We could enjoy the other tastes without setting our mouth on fire, although I do enjoy that.

After simmering for a while I served it with rice.

The garnish for the curry was peanuts and green onions. I had to get rid of green onions that I was given from work. I still have more and I get them every Sunday.

I made basmati rice to go along with it and sprinkled some black and white sesame seeds that I had also gotten from my manager. We discontinued using them when the dining room closed for the restrictions. We are still closed for dining while areas around us are back to dining.

I made a simple cucumber salad to go with it. I got the cucumbers from the markdown bin. I added red onion, lime juice. cider vinegar and salt.

This was a satisfying clearing of the goods, but I have more to go.

Hope you are having a good week!