Vegetarian Vindaloo with Eggplant & Mushroom

Blogging Marathon# 26: Week 1/ Day 2
Theme: Goan Cuisine
Dish: Eggplant & Mushroom Vindaloo

For Day 2 under "Goan Cuisine" for BM# 26, I made Vindaloo with Eggplant, mushrooms and red pepper. A little bit of Wiki gyan (knowledge) about Vindaloo -- "Vindaloo is derived from a Portuguese dish named "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos" which is usually made with pork, red wine and garlic.The Goans modified the dish by using vinegar for the red wine and kashmiri chilies and additional spices."

When I saw this recipe Eggplant and Mushroom Vindaloo on Vaishali's blog, I wanted to try it myself to see how it tastes. This recipe uses balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar and that sounded delicious to me. Balsamic vinegar gives the dish a mildly sweet tangy flavor that goes great with the veggies. I add balsamic to my roasted veggies, so I know it tastes amazing. I wasn't disappointed at all. When I tasted the dish, there was a party of flavors in my mouth. Its tangy, spicy, sour, sweet, all at the same time.

Here's how I made the dish. Vaishali's original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

For the Curry:

Eggplant - 1 medium, I used an Italian eggplant, chopped into large pieces

Red Pepper - 1 medium, chopped into large pieces

Mushrooms - 8, halved or quartered if large (I used cremini or brown mushrooms)

Red Onion - 1 large, chopped

Crushed tomatoes - ½cup
Cinnamon stick - 1" piece
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Spring Onions - 4, both green and white parts chopped
Cilantro - 3tbsp, finely chopped
Salt - to taste

For the Marinade:
Balsamic vinegar - ¼cup
Garlic - 4 cloves
Ginger - 1" piece
Extra virgin Olive oil - 1tbsp
Ground Coriander - 2tsp
Ground Mustard seeds - 2tsp
Ground Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Turmeric - ¼tsp
Garam Masala - 1tsp
Red chili powder - 1tsp
Salt - 1tsp
Sugar - 1tsp

Method:

• Prepare the Marinade: Grind all the ingredients listed under Marinade along with 2-3tbsp water.
• Marinate the Veggies: Marinate eggplant, pepper and mushrooms in the marinade for 1 hour.
• Make the Curry: Heat 2tbsp oil in a large pan; add the onions and cook until they turn golden brown on medium flame, about 8-10 minutes.
• Add marinated veggies along with the marinade. Cook on medium flame for 5-8 minutes.
• Then add crushed tomatoes and cinnamon stick, cook on medium-low flame, covered for 35-40 minutes or until the veggies are completely tender.
• Finally add the mustard seeds, check the seasoning. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions. Serve with steamed rice or bread.

I served with stuffed buns and leftover peanut rice -- a very non-Goan combination :-)

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 26.