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Eggplants shine like the superstars they are in this really simple dish. Great for those new to curries, this foolproof recipe couldn’t be easier—it’s just one pot on the stove and ready in under 45 minutes. Win! Make a big pot on a Sunday night and you’ve easily got lunch or dinner for five days! Serve it with red beet kimchi and avocado. Throw it onto a wrap for a curry burrito. Or enjoy with steamed veggies and a favorite chutney. There are so many ways to enjoy this fantastic, yet light, dish. There are more vegan eggplant dishes we'd like for you to give a try!

Recipe adapted from Carolyn’s Pantry.

By Carolyn Yachanin,

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • ½ red onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup white button mushrooms, chopped
  • 3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 3 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1½ cups dried red lentils
  • 1 (15-ounce) can light coconut milk
  • 2⅔ cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups chopped kale leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa or brown rice

Optional toppings

  • A handful of chopped cilantro
  • Avocado
  • Beet kimchi or red cabbage kraut

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cut the eggplant in thirds lengthwise, place on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
  • When there’s about 5 minutes left on the timer for the eggplant, heat a large pot over medium low to medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots and sauté for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the onions start to turn brown and translucent. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time as needed, to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan.
  • Remove the eggplant from the oven, let it cool a bit since it’ll be pretty hot, and roughly it chop into large pieces.
  • Add the chopped eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, turmeric, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms get nice and soft.
  • Next, add the lentils, coconut milk, and vegetable broth and stir. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • Add the kale, stir, and cook, uncovered, for an additional 5 minutes. Taste and add salt if you think it needs it.
  • Top with optional toppings and serve with quinoa or brown rice!

Comments (30)

(5 from 14 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Shari Oliver

I love this dish! Always a hit in my house!

Karolina

This was very yummy! I didn’t have any beet kimchi or red cabbage kraut so I made my own substitute that was super simple and delicious: thinly sliced red cabbage, salt and lemon juice that I let stand at room temp for several hours before serving.

Wendy Meyer

Very interesting flavor. Taste even better after a couple of days.

Jay

No curry powder???

Tom Harvey

Anytime turmeric is an ingredient shouldn't you also add a little fresh ground black pepper to unleash the full nutritional benefits of the turmeric? Tom

Tracy Pearce

This was awesome! Wouldn’t change one thing, except maybe a little more eggplant Husband loooved it!

Cynthia Rubsamen

No one ever answered it you keep the skin on the eggplant

Deborah

I always keep skin on, especially using Chinese eggplant. Yum!

MZS

Really, really like this dish. Substituted a cup of frozen peas and carrots for the 3 carrots (lurked too long in the freezer) and added a dash of habanero for the red pepper. Sooo good.

Jocelyn Neville

It’s called Easy Turmeric Eggplant Curry. I find no curry listed in the recipe. How much curry??

Kathy

Curry is a blanket term for anything with Indian spices.

Aloha JoJo

Curry is a blanket term for “sauce”. There is Indian curry, Japanese curry, Thai curry … curry powder is typically a blend of spices specific to whichever curry flavor you are trying to accomplish, I.e. garam masala. I hope this helped.

Rita

Do you leave skin on the eggplant???

MONICA GORDON

what can you use in place of coconut milk?

Sinead

Use savoury cashew cream. Mrs Google has lots of recipes! It makes the curry nice n creamy!!

Rachel

You can use almond milk or oat milk and add coconut extract as well.

Shari Oliver

Love this recipe, absolutely delicious.

Lori

Do you leave the skin on the eggplant?

Marion Robertson

Not a fan of eggplant, but I had a couple so made this and wow!! Even better the next day for leftovers.

Kim

Best dish I've ever made, EVER!!! I did add about 2 T of curry powder.

Daniel

Eventhough I don't have a lot of cooking experience and I'm still confused what is meant by sauté, I'm still impressed by the result. The only thing that I would change is to put 1 tablespoon of turmeric instead of 3. Nevertheless have a great day:)

Carolyn

The recipe says says 3 teaspoons, not tablespoons! :)

Stans S.

This was delicious, though I’m not sure why it’s called “Easy”, as it was still quite a bit of work. Yes, add some ground black pepper to make the turmeric more potent.

Leon

Sauté is similar to stirfry!

Leon

3 teaspoons is equal to 1 tablespoon, so it's still the same recipe

ALISON JOY STURDY

Delicious and really nutritional

Nicole

I loved this. I omitted the red flakes because my friend doesn't do well with hot things. It was so lovely. I also put in spinach instead of kale because that's what was available, and yes good with the spinach.

Nikki Alvarado

Which is a Tablespoon I think

Libby Gillman

This was the first Forks Over Knives recipe that I tried. Wow! My husband and I loved it. He wants to know if there are other FOK recipes. We loved the no oil aspect - it lightened the dish!

Elizabeth Hazel Green

So easy and absolutely delicious, we have this at least once a week.

About the Author

Headshot of Carolyn Yachanin

About the Author

Carolyn Yachanin

Carolyn grew up a lover of nature and cooking in Northern California, but as an adult gravitated toward plant-based eating as a way to heal her food intolerances naturally. She couldn’t find recipes colorful enough to make her smile or easy enough to make in a snap, so she decided to create her own. Carolyn started the Carolyn’s Pantry blog in 2016 and has been a featured author with Forks Over Knives, Kris Carr, Whole Foods, Prevention magazine, and more. Her recipes now live on the blog at Copina Co, her plant-based beauty and wellness company. Find her on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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