Kerala Vegan Eggplant Stir Fry
Mezhukkupuratti… say it three times fast!
I was chatting with my MIL on Saturday morning and she asked me what I was thinking of making for the week. We had brought home some eggplant from the store and I told her I was thinking of roasting it. She mentioned that there’s a style of cooking in Kerala called mezhukkupuratti which means anything that has been dry fried—instead of braised in a saucy coconut curry as is common in that part of India. She suggested I try it out. So, I happily looked up a bunch of recipes and made this one my own. My MIL is the sweetest person in the world and I feel so lucky to be inspired by her and learn new Indian dishes which are different from the ones I grew up eating. And, it’s vegan, flavorful, and so low in calories. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. See below to learn more about Kerala cuisine.
Kerala Vegan Eggplant Stir Fry
Makes 4 servings (about 1 cup)
Calories per serving: 140
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
2 large eggplants, cut into medium-sized chunks (about 1.5” pieces)
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 medium Roma tomato, chopped
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
4 curry leaves
1 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 tsp. coconut oil
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 425 F and cover a large baking sheet with foil. Brush some olive oil on the foil and set aside.
Place eggplant pieces in a large bowl and toss with 1 Tbs. olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Roast for about 20-25 minutes or until eggplant begins to shrivel up. Don’t over cook.
Halfway through the eggplant being in the oven, heat a large pan on medium high heat. Add 2 tsp. coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and fry until they sputter (about 1-2 minutes). Add curry leaves and fry for another minute. Add chopped onions and fry until soft. (Add more coconut oil if onions begin to stick to the pan.) Add garlic and fry for 1 minute. Then add chili powder and turmeric and fry for another 30 seconds more. Add chopped tomato and remaining salt and stir fry everything for another 2-4 minutes until tomatoes start to break down.
Once out of the oven, add the eggplant pieces to the onion mixture in the pan and stir fry on medium-high for 1-2 minutes. Taste to check salt and spices. Cover and lower heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to medium-high, and stir fry for another 5 minutes until mixture is dry and eggplant skin is soft.
Take off heat, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.
