Today’s recipe takes great liberties with the base for the classic Sri Lankan aubergine pickle, wambatu moju, in which deep-fried aubergine and onions combine with turmeric, vinegar, chilli and pickling spices to create a moreish side dish. Here, I’ve used the same pickling spice base, but combined it with tomatoes and beans for protein, to make a lovely, flavour-packed weeknight curry.
Sri Lankan-style aubergine and black eye bean curry
If you don’t have black eye beans, you could just as easily use tinned chickpeas instead.
Prep 15 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 2-4
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp fine salt
1 large aubergine, cut into 1cm-thick half-moons
2 tbsp neutral oil, plus extra for frying the aubergines
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 green chilli, stem, pith and seeds discarded, flesh finely sliced
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
400g tin tomatoes
400g tin black eye beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp flaky sea salt
35ml white-wine vinegar, or, if you have it, white malt vinegar
Flatbreads or rice, to serve
Yoghurt, to serve
Rub the turmeric and fine salt into the sliced aubergine, and set aside.
Heat the two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan, then add the garlic, chilli and mustard seeds, turn down the heat and cook for a minute, until the mustard seeds start to pop.
Turn the heat to medium, add the onion and stir-fry for five minutes, until slightly softened. Add the tinned tomatoes, black eye beans, flaky sea salt and vinegar, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, bring to a gentle simmer and leave to cook for 20 minutes.
After the sauce is simmering, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan. Add a layer of the turmeric aubergine slices and fry for three or four minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl, add more oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining sliced aubergine.
Stir the aubergine slices into the sauce, then taste and add more salt, if needed. Serve hot with flatbreads or rice, and yoghurt alongside.
