Curryosity.

A vegetarian curry. I had to try this.

"Eggplant and Pea Curry" (6 quart pot)

~1 T coriander seed

~1 T cumin seed

~2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

~2 T vegetable oil

~3 yellow onions, finely chopped

~2 garlic cloves, minced (From the CSA.)

~1 T finely minced fresh ginger

~1 t ground turmeric

~1 T sweet paprika

~1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes

~2 large tomatoes peeled and chopped OR 1 (14 1/2oz) can crushed tomatoes (I used 2 large tomatoes.*)

~2 eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

~1 c frozen peas

~fresh cilantro

Combine coriander, cumin, and cinnamon and grind to a fine powder. (I used a coffee grinder.)

Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add oil.

Add onions and sauté for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add spice mixture, turmeric, paprika, and pepper flakes and stir for 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until some of the liquid evaporates. (I didn't have much/any.)

Transfer mixture to a blender and purée until almost smooth.

Place eggplant in crock pot.

Pour puréed veggies on top and stir gently.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Stir in peas during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Serve and top with chopped cilantro.

4 servings.

I had high hope for this, but it wasn't my favorite curry dish. It was good, but you have to REALLY like spicy (which we do) AND cinnamon (which we do.) The cinnamon in it was kind of overwhelming though. I'd try it with one stick next time. It was also kind of pasty, so I'm wondering if using canned tomatoes versus the fresh makes much of a difference.