Eggplant Curry Boulanger, My Aunt's Family Secret

Name: Eggplant Curry Boulanger, My Aunt's Family Secret
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 eggplants, cut into bite-sized pieces; 1 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces; 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes; 2 yellow onions, cut into 1 cm cubes; 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced; 3 chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (skip for vegetarian); 70 ml ketjap manis (sweet dark soy sauce); 6 tbsp curry powder (3 tbsp early, 3 tbsp later); 2 tbsp ground cumin (1 tbsp early, 1 tbsp later); 1 tbsp ginger powder; a pinch MSG (optional magical stardust); 1 cube chicken or vegetable stock powder; 250 ml water; 1 lemon, halved; 2 knobs butter; 10 cracks each salt and black pepper; to serve spicy mango chutney and a drizzle of heavy cream

1 hr 30 min total 4 servings easy

curryeggplantchickencomfort-foodfamily-recipe

Prep 20 min · Cook 1 hr 10 min

This eggplant curry boulanger is a family secret passed down from one generation to the next, and it's not very known on YouTube. It's a Surinamese eggplant curry that changed over time with what my aunt and her predecessors added to it. She used to make it when I was little, it's the curry that made me fall in love with curries. Savory, juicy, and easier than most because it uses fewer spices than your average Indian curry, which makes it great for beginning home cooks. There's chicken in it, but leave it out and it's just as good vegetarian.

Ingredients

2 eggplants, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
2 yellow onions, cut into 1 cm cubes
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (skip for vegetarian)
70 ml ketjap manis (sweet dark soy sauce)
6 tbsp curry powder (3 tbsp early, 3 tbsp later)
2 tbsp ground cumin (1 tbsp early, 1 tbsp later)
1 tbsp ginger powder
a pinch MSG (optional magical stardust)
1 cube chicken or vegetable stock powder
250 ml water
1 lemon, halved
2 knobs butter
to serve spicy mango chutney and a drizzle of heavy cream
10 cracks each salt and black pepper

Method

1
Cut up and prepare everything before you start cooking.
2
Put a large pan with a thick bottom (like my cast iron) on medium-high heat with some butter. Add the chicken and let it sit for 4 minutes so it gets a nice golden brown layer. Season with salt and pepper, then remove and let it rest.
3
Add another knob of butter and the onions. Cook until translucent, then add the garlic.
4
Pour in the 70 ml ketjap manis.
5
First layer of spices: 3 tablespoons curry powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon ginger powder, and the optional MSG. Stir and reduce the heat to medium. Layering the spices like this gives a more balanced flavor in the end.
6
Add the zucchini and eggplant, stir, put the lid on and leave it for 10 minutes so the eggplant releases its juices, that's the curry base.
7
Add the second spice layer: 3 more tablespoons curry powder and 1 more tablespoon cumin. Crumble in the stock cube.
8
Add the 250 ml water so everything is submerged, give it a good stir, and add the potatoes now, add them at the start and they literally become mash; you want some bite left.
9
Add the juice of half the lemon and return the chicken. (I add the chicken after splitting off a vegetarian half for my girlfriend, you can just add it here.)
10
Simmer on medium-low with the lid on for 45 minutes, scraping the bottom every 10–15 minutes. With low heat and a thick-bottomed pan it shouldn't burn quickly. You do have a thick-bottomed pan, right?
11
Season with 10 cracks of salt and 10 of black pepper, then taste. Adjust salt and pepper, and check the acidity, more lemon juice if it can be a bit more sour. Too thick? Add some water.
12
Simmer 5 more minutes without the lid. You're left with a creamy, thick eggplant curry.
13
Serve with a spoon of spicy mango chutney and a drizzle of heavy cream over the top.

Kitchen cabinet

4 tools I used.

🍲Large thick-bottomed pan with lid (cast iron)🔪Chef's knife 🧄Garlic press 🥄Wooden spoon

Some links are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.