Fast Curries
One of my favorite eggplant recipes, this Kashmiri Tomato Eggplant Curry – Tamatar Wangun is easy to make and is delicious. Plus, the eggplant pieces are so tender, they almost melt in your mouth. I personally love cooking with eggplant and use it often in my kitchen.
What kind of eggplant do I need for Kashmiri Tomato Eggplant Curry – Tamatar Wangun?
Indian eggplants. Purple and spherical, Indian eggplants – also known as baby eggplants – can be found in Indian grocery stores. They are small with a dark reddish-purple color. Moreover, always look for younger, smooth, shiny smaller eggplants that feel firm and are not mushy. Additionally, they should not have dull or wrinkled skin.
How do I make this recipe?
First, rinse the eggplants by running them under cold water and wiping dry with a paper towel. In Kashmiri recipes, you don’t slice off the top of the eggplant. You keep the stem intact. Cut the eggplant body in half lengthwise/vertically.
Second, deep fry the eggplants. Kashmiri cuisine requires the eggplants to be deep fried until slightly brown. That helps it cook quickly and eliminates the raw eggplant taste. If you don’t wish to deep fry the eggplants you can shallow fry them until they skin looks cooked and they change color to slightly dark.
Cook:
Firstly, heat oil in a wide pan on medium-high heat. Secondly add in asafoetida. Third, in about 30 seconds add in cumin seeds, cloves, whole black cardamom pods.
Further, when the cumin seeds splutter add in Kashmiri chili powder and stir well.
Add in the tomato puree quickly to prevent the chili powder from burning. Let the tomato puree cook for a few minutes until the oil leaves the sides. Furthermore, add in salt, ginger, ground fennel and water. Stir well.
Next add in the eggplant and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the egg plant is cooked. Finally add in ground cumin and garam masala and stir well.
Cover the pan with a lid and finally cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If you like more gravy you can add slightly more water. Top with 2 whole green chilies. Turn off the flame and enjoy with white rice.
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Try some of our other Kashmiri recipe
Kashmiri Haak Aloo – Instant Pot Kale and Potato Curry
Swiss Chard Curry – Instant Pot Kashmiri Haak
Also try some of our Instant Pot recipes.
Kashmiri Tomato Eggplant Curry – Tamatar Wangun
Ingredients
- 8 eggplants (Indian baby eggplants)
- 3 tbsp oil (plus extra for deep frying eggplants)
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 2 whole cloves (laung)
- 2 whole black cardamom pod (kali elaichi)
- 1 tbsp kashmiri chili powder
- 2 tomatoes, large (1 and 1/4 cup pureed)
- 1 and 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp ground ginger (sonth)
- 1 tbsp ground fennel (saunf powder)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin (jeera powder)
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 green chili, whole (hari mirch)
Instructions
Prep
- Rinse the eggplants by running them under cold water and wiping dry with a paper towel. In Kashmiri recipes, you don’t slice off the top of the eggplant. You keep the stem intact. Cut the eggplant body in half lengthwise/vertically.
- Deep fry the eggplants. Kashmiri cuisine requires the eggplants to be deep fried until slightly brown. That helps it cook quickly and eliminates the raw eggplant taste. If you don’t wish to deep fry the eggplants you can shallow fry them until they skin looks cooked and they change color to slightly dark.
- Puree the tomatoes.
Cook
- Heat oil in a wide pan on medium-high heat. Add in asafoetida. In about 30 seconds add in cumin seeds, cloves, whole black cardamom pods.
- When the cumin seeds splutter add in Kashmiri chili powder and stir well.
- Add in the tomato puree quickly to prevent the chili powder from burning. Let the tomato puree cook for a few minutes until the oil leaves the sides. Furthermore, add in salt, ginger, ground fennel and water. Stir well.
- Next add in the eggplant and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the egg plant is cooked. Finally add in ground cumin and garam masala and stir well.
- Cover the pan with a lid and finally cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the gravy thickens. Top with 2 whole green chilis. Turn off the flame and enjoy with white rice.
