Slow Cooker Aubergine Makhani: The ultimate vegetarian curry

I adore my slow cooker. I use it for Keema Pau Bhaji, Vegetable Kurma, Daal Makhani, this Aubergine Makhani and more.

The basis my sauce is an irresistible combo of butter, tomatoes, aromatic spices and a touch of cream. It’s not makhani without butter!

Indeed, the final splash of cream makes for a perfectly-balanced curry for the juicy aubergine chunks.

Why I slow cook my aubergines

Slow cooking is a great way of making sure your aubergines remain chunky and don’t fall apart. If you’re looking for an equally delicious aubergine recipe where they are first blackened, then mashed, head this way.

Creamy curry 101

One of my favourite dishes to eat in Indian restaurants is Paneer Makhani or Paneer Butter Masala. If one of them is on the menu, there’s a 99% chance I’ll order one.

In makhani curry, it’s the combination of ground coriander, cardamom, kasoori methi and tomatoes. It makes for an utterly satisfying meal. So delicious with rice and naan.

I always season my creamy curries with salt and sugar to balance the spices and sour tomatoes. This of course, depends on your taste so feel free to adjust accordingly.

Other ways of making Makhani curry

If you’re not a fan of aubergines, this easy vegetarian makhani sauce recipe is also amazing with chickpeas, tofu, paneer, potatoes, cauliflower and more.

It’s so easy to make in a slow cooker – there’s no separate cooking, it all goes in at once and is finished with a touch of cream, kasoori methi, flaked almonds and fresh coriander.

How to make Slow Cooker Aubergine Makhani

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Slow Cooker Aubergine Makhani

Beautiful, butter-soft aubergines simmered in a rich makhani sauce for three hours are what you’ll be dreaming about tonight. It’s velvety smooth and perfect with basmati rice and fluffy Garlic and Coriander Naan.

Ingredients

For the aubergine makhani:

• 3 large aubergines cut into 1 inch chunks
• 800 g passata sieved tomato pulp
• 2 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
• 4 large cloves garlic crushed
• 5 cm piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
• 2 tsp coriander seeds finely ground
• 2 tsp garam masala
• Seeds of 6 cardamom pods finely ground
• ¼ tsp fennel seeds finely ground
• 3 small red chillies finely chopped
• 50 g butter melted
• 1 ½ tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 ml double cream to finish
• To garnish:
• 1 tsp kasoori methi to finish
• Toasted flaked almonds to garnish
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• Red onions cut into rings

Instructions

• Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker apart from the aubergines, cream and kasoori methi. Give it a good whisk.
• Fold in the aubergines and make sure they’re well coated. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on the high setting for 3 hours.
• Don’t stir the curry too much – you want your aubergine to remain chunky so try to leave it to do its thing.
• After around 3 hours, the aubergine should be beautifully soft. Remove the lid and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
• Finally, rub the kasoori methi between your palms and add to the curry. Finish with the cream, mixing thoroughly for a delicious creamy finish.
• Garnish with flaked almonds, red onions and chopped coriander.

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Love Sanjana

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Don’t give me that look – I know what you’re thinking.

This weekend has been rush, rush, rush. I was panicking all day yesterday wondering what on earth I was going to present to you. I annoyed other people into helping me think of something, which has never really happened before. Shall I let you in on how this whole blogging shebang works for me?

I wake up on Monday mornings, droopy-eyed and full of bitterness about how quickly the weekend flew by, why it’s so damn cold and why I’m wearing two coats (yeah I know, what the hell, right?) Around lunchtime I start to wonder what could possibly sweeten up my mood.

Thinking about food usually does it for me. I couldn’t tell you why – although my belly, bingo wings and thunder thighs probably could. Figuring out what to eat by ingredient is much too complex for me, so I usually work out what would hit the spot by cuisine.

I do a hi-tech international Matrix-styleè brain scan of what I’d like to shovel in to my mouth as quickly as possible. Let me give you an example of the kind of thought process that takes place:

Chinese: Meh
French: No
Italian: Hmm
Japanese: Maybe
Thai: Ouhh…
Indian: Nah
Mexican: Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

I promise you this is going somewhere – sort of.

Next, I think of all the possible dishes I could create to fill this particular craving using my favourite ingredients and influences from that part of the world. I usually end up getting so carried away with this that I end up blogging about one of the dishes I cooked up in a fantasy I had earlier in the week.

I’m not the kind of girl to ignore my belly when it speaks to me, just so you know.

I’ve always wanted to make a spicy chilli with dark chocolate, inspired by Mexican ‘mole’ sauce. In my recipe, I used chocolate to give the chilli an intense, slightly bitter flavour to counteract the savoury notes already muddling in the pot. The result? A rich, hearty bowlful of goodness, topped off with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle of cheese and some fresh avocado.

Hand me the tortilla chips, por favor?

Now, if you’re Mexican or a whiz at cooking Mexican food, I apologise for this in advance. I’m not going to call this dish Mexican because it almost certainly breaks all the rules of Mexican cooking.

However, I’m not going to apologise for saying it’s delicious. (“It’s delicious”) – Because it is, and because I can say whatever I like here in my safe haven. Ha.

Black Bean and Chocolate Chilli
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients

160g dried black beans, cooked (I did mine in the pressure cooker)
80g dried pinto beans, cooked (I did mine in the pressure cooker)
80g dried soya mince, soaked in hot water then squeezed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
300g passata
2 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
2 tbsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander seed powder
5 hot green chillies, minced
125g 70% cacao dark chocolate, chopped
3 tsp sugar
4 tbsp lime juice
100g sharp cheddar cheese
2 tsp dried oregano
Handful of chopped coriander
Salt to taste
Around 1 litre hot water

To serve
Sour cream
Chopped avocado
Chopped coriander

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan or dutch oven. Add the onions and allow to brown. Add the garlic, chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder, tomato puree, passata, sugar, oregano, chocolate and cheese, and bring to a boil.

2. Add the reconstituted soya mince, cooked beans and enough water to cover by about an inch. Put the lid on, turn the heat down to low and simmer for around 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove the lid and adjust the consistency of the chilli if necessary. Add more water if it’s thick, or continue to simmer with the lid off if too watery.

4. Add a handful of chopped coriander and season with salt. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

5. Serve in bowls and top with sour cream, avocado and coriander. You can have this with tortilla chips, flour or corn tortillas, spicy rice or seasoned potato wedges.

Have you ever cooked a savoury dish with chocolate? If not, go and make this – pronto!

The post Black Bean and Chocolate Chilli appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

This recipe was requested by Max- A reader with an inspiring passion for Gujarati food.

Prepare yourselves to be psychologically transported to Gujarat with this hearty daal dish. Urad daal (also known as black gram) are used all over India, in a huge variety of dishes. They make hearty lunch or dinner stews in Northern and Western India, whereas they grace the breakfast tables of South Indian homes in their skinned-split form. These lentils are so versatile; they can be used whole, split or ground to make curries, soups, steamed savoury cakes (idlis) and even those notoriously delicious lentil pancakes (dosa).

The earthy, iron-richness of the whole lentils make a traditional and popular meal for peasant workers on Indian farms, and can be served with a variety of breads like naan, chapattis and rotla, and also plain basmati rice. Add plenty of butter or ghee at your will (and mine), although this will not be necessary to add creaminess to the dish. When cooked, urad daal bleed a thick, glutinous liquid which will make your finished dish rich, creamy and thoroughly delicious. Butter or ghee will give your urad daal a beautiful flavour which marries delightfully with the spiciness of the dish.

Some Hindus believe that urad daal should be traditionally made into a stew like this on Saturday, for Saturday represents the day of the monkey god, Lord Hanuman. Lord Hanuman is worshipped each week on this day, and belief has it that he gathered his otherworldly strength from eating such lentils. Urad daal is packed with vitamins, protein and iron, so move over Popeye- Hanuman’s in town and he brings with him the strength of one thousand elephants, and karahi’s full of spicy urad daal!

Gujarati-Style Urad Daal
(Serves 4 people as a main dish or 6 as a starter or side)

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups whole urad daal, soaked in warm water for 2-4 hours
3 cups hot water (or more to cook the lentils if you don’t have a pressure cooker)
1 ½ tbsp garlic, minced
4-5 hot green chillies, minced (or to taste)
1 tbsp ginger, minced
½ cup tomatoes, pureed
2 tbsp ghee (plus more for serving- optional) or oil for a vegan option
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
8-10 curry leaves
¼ tsp asafoetida (optional)
½ tsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
½ tsp dried, powdered sour mango (amchur) or 1 tbsp lemon juice
Extra 2-3 cups hot water
½ cup fresh coriander, chopped

Method

1. Boil the urad daal in plenty of water until just past the al dente stage (they need to be quite soft to ooze that glutinous liquid). If you have a pressure cooker, use 3 cups of water and wait for about 10 whistles. Set this aside.

2. In a large pan, heat the ghee (or oil for a vegan option) and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, and then add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.

3. Quickly add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chillies. Cook this mixture out on a medium heat for around 5 minutes. Add the turmeric and cook for a further minute.

4. Add the cooked urad daal and mix thoroughly. Add around 2-3 cups of hot water and stir constantly for -2 minutes to gain a glutionous, creamy consistency.

5. Add salt and amchur powder or lemon and taste for seasoning. Stir in the coriander and serve hot with lashings of butter or ghee.

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