An eggplant curry recipe made with simple ingredients.

This is my mother in law’s simple Sri Lankan eggplant curry which is always in her festive menu.

Cooking the eggplant slice in thin and thick coconut milk gravy lets the eggplant(brinjal)to soak in the flavors to give you a simple yet amazing vegetarian/vegan curry.

The creaminess of the coconut milk with the deep fried flavors of the eggplant(brinjal), turmeric compliments each other so well.

You can simply eat this eggplant curry with even a bowl of steaming rice.

Easy eggplant curry you’ll love

A note to my lovely readers.

As I mentioned earlier this recipe comes from my mother-in-law.

It’s a family favorite and an eggplant curry her grandkids love.

It’s fail-proof and a very simple recipe, in her own words,

“I don’t add anything to this recipe that is not needed”.

This means, no garlic, no mustard seeds, no curry powders or chilli powder as most Sri Lankan recipes require.

Please try not to modify or add additional ingredients to enhance this tasty aubergine curry.
It’s good as it is.

What to serve with eggplant curries.

• Did you know eggplant curry is a great side dish for pittu?
  • I didn’t until I was introduced to a plate of pittu with some curried eggplant curry on the side.
• Serve with a steaming bowl of plain rice cooked over a stove top, a traditional yellow rice, ghee rice, mixed vegetable rice pilaf, or even lemon rice.
• Other vegetarian side dishes to serve with eggplant(brinjal)curry.
  • Spicy dry potato curry.
  • Beetroot curry.
  • Vegan green bean and coconut stir fry.
  • Soya meat curry.
  • Spicy potato and green bean stir fry.
  • Sri Lankan spinach conut stir fry.

• Meat dishes that go well with the eggplant curry.
  • My grandmother’s slow cooked beef curry.
  • Sri Lankan chicken curry.
  • Sri Lankan spicy fish curry.
  • Sri Lankan canned fish curry.
  • Ambulthiyal chicken curry.
  • Ambulthiyal fish curry

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More eggplant curries

Sri Lankan brinjal moju(egg plant pickle)

Sri Lankan egg plant salad.

Eggplant sweet and sour curry(sri lankan brinjal pahi).

Tips to make Sri Lankan eggplant curry.

• Cut the eggplant into thick slices to avoid them turning to must as they cook in coconut milk.

• To deep fry the eggplant slices, make sure the oil temperature is constantly regulated to avoid the oil smoking. maintain low medium heat. occasionally reduce to low so the oil temperature stays stable.
• Only fry the eggplant until they turn dark golden brown, if the slices are fried too much, you’ll taste a burnt flavor.

• How to make the eggplant curry healthier.
  • If you are under a strict diet and need to avoid deep fried food, instead of deep frying the eggplant simply air fry the eggplant.

• Once the deep fried eggplant slices are added to the milk, instead of using a spoon to combine, use the pan handle to swirl and mix the eggplants with the coconut milk.

Utensils and appliances needed.

• Chopping board and knife.
• Deep frying pan.
• Plate with paper towels.
• A medium-sized skillet or pan.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-EASY

Sri Lankan creamy eggplant (brinjal) curry.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

Ingredients to make Sri Lankan eggplant curry

250g of fresh eggplant/brinjals cut into 2-inch or long thick wedges

2-3 cups of oil to fry the brinjals(can substitute with air fryer eggplant fries, link given above_

1 medium-sized onion sliced fine

A sprig of curry leaves(optional)

1 green chillie split in the middle

1-inch pandan strip(substitute with a bay leaf)

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 cup thin milk(how to given below in method) 

1/2 cup thick milk(how to given below in method)

Salt to season

Method

How to cut the eggplant for the Sri Lankan curry.

Wash the eggplant, place them on a cutting board cut them into 2-inch or slightly longer, thick wedges.

Immediately place them on a plate, sprinkle a 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder, and combine.

Turmeric tends to stain your nails and fingers, wear a disposable glove or place them in a container covered with a lid and shake to combine.

Do not add salt at this point.

How to deep fry the eggplant wedges.

Have a plate with paper towels ready for the fried eggplant slices.

Place a deep frying pan over a low-medium fire.

Bring the oil to a point where you can fry the brinjals. make sure NOT to bring the oil to a smoking point.

Sprinkle salt over the slices of eggplant and begin deep-frying the veggie slices.

Drop a brinjal slice to check if the oil has reached the correct temperature.

If the slice floats with bubbles around it while it fries, the oil temperature is just right. Regulate the heat to maintain a steady oil temperature and avoid oil smoking(read tips given above).

Avoid crowding the pan and fry the eggplant wedges in small batches.

Try to fry the skin side first and then the fleshy side, you will need to keep an eye on the frying brinjals as you want them to turn a dark golden brown.

You can turn the eggplant from the skin side to the fleshy side, every two minutes to give them an even time of frying.

If you fry them too long the brinjals WILL turn bitter. 

Place the deep-fried slices of eggplant on the plate to absorb any excess oil.

To make the eggplant dish,

first, make the thin coconut milk and set it aside.

• How to make thin and thick coconut milk for the eggplant curry
• Using liquid coconut milk.
• Packed liquid coconut milk is always preferable.
• For thin milk just add 1/2 cup of the thick milk from the package to 2 and 1/2 cup of water.
• For thick milk, use the coconut milk from the package without diluting it with water.

• Using coconut milk powder.
• To make thin milk add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of coconut powder to 3 cups of water.
• To make thick milk add 4 tablespoons of coconut powder per cup of water.

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How to make the eggplant/brinjal curry.

Place a pan over a low-medium fire and pour the thin coconut milk.

Add onion slices, green chilie, curry leaves, pandan leaf, turmeric.

Reduce heat to low and gently bring the thin milk gravy to a boil for 10 minutes and reduce heat to low.

Pour in the thick coconut milk.

Once you see the coconut milk gravy thickening and reduced in half.

Add the fried eggplants to the coconut milk sauce.

Maintain low-medium and let the brinjals/eggplant continue to cook, check the taste, and season with salt.

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Add the fried eggplants to the coconut milk sauce.

Maintain low-medium and let the brinjals/eggplant continue to cook, check the taste, and season with salt.

Avoid stirring or moving the veggies around with a spoon but tilt or shake the pan to move the veggies about.

Let the brinjal curry continue cooking until gravy is completely reduced and covering the brinjals making the eggplant curry really creamy.

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