Eggplant Thai Curry

My favorite times of the year are fall and spring.  When the weather ranges between 50 and 80 degrees fahrenheit I feel like I’m in paradise.  The cooler weather, of course, also brings back cravings for food that is warm and comforting.  Curry fits this perfectly.

I adore curries of all shapes and sizes, but possibly my favorite is Thai curry.  Spicy curry paste and creamy coconut milk are a dream combo.  For this version I used luscious eggplant, or aubergine, along with sweet potato, peppers, and onions to make the curry rich and flavorful.  The eggplant replaces any meat for me in this dish.  It has a fabulous earthiness that is to die for.  You won’t even miss the meat.

While I do love to make my own curry paste, with school back in session and time at a premium, that just didn’t happen this time.  If you do have the time, I definitely recommend homemade as it just can’t be matched in flavor.  You can also control your heat level a little easier that way.  At the end of the day, grocery store red curry paste is still delicious and much, much faster.  So that is what I used.

I love to serve Thai curry with rice stick, which is just a thin rice noodle.  It does a fabulous job soaking up all the lovely sauce and carrying the vegetables.  It is also much quicker and easier than cooking perfect rice.

Finally, I topped the dish with half a sliced avocado.  I adore avocado and it is cool and creamy which goes beautifully with the spicy sauce.  It may not be the most traditional garnish, but it was a tasty one.

On top of all the other delicious reasons to make this dish, it is actually vegan friendly and absolutely healthy!  It is literally a giant bowl of veggies.  What more could you want?  Even my picky, meat-loving fiance scarfed it down.

Wedding diet?  Heck yeah if it tastes like this!

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• salt and pepper
• 1 red onion, rough chopped
• 2 bell peppers, any color, rough chopped (I used 1 green and 1 orange)
• 2 serrano peppers, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large or two small eggplants, cut into about 1 inch strips
• 4 oz red curry paste
• 1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• rice stick, about 1 oz per desired serving
• sliced avocado, optional

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot add the diced sweet potato, salt, and pepper.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for about another 10 minutes, or until they are soft and the onions are starting to turn translucent.  Add the garlic and serrano pepper.  Give it a good stir and and cook for about a minute.  Add the eggplant.  Cook for about five minutes, until the eggplant starts to cook down a bit, and add the curry paste.  Stir in thoroughly.  Continue cooking, and stirring, for about 10 more minutes or until the eggplant is completely cooked down and soft.

While the eggplant cooks, bring water to a boil in a sauce pan.  Add the rice stick.  Cook for about 7 minutes, or until soft, then drain.

Once the curry vegetables are fully done, add the coconut milk and cherry tomatoes.  Stir in throughly and let heat through.  You don’t need the coconut milk to simmer as it can curdle if left unattended.

The sauce should be rich and velvety, with all the veggies soft.

To serve, but desired amount of rice noodles in a bowl and top with the curry.

If desired, you can also top with sliced avocado for more color and cool creaminess.

Feel really good about today’s life choices. 🙂