Cooking With Rebec Vineyards: Eggplant, Basil & Chickpea Summer Curry
Pairs With: Rebec Vineyards Viognier
This summer curry is equally good prepared in advance, but I love going out and picking the ingredients from the garden and working with them right away. To be super healthy, serve over brown rice or with whole wheat pita bread. Although this version is vegan, you can add additional protein, such as tofu, chicken, or bits of leftover pork or beef. It can easily be doubled. Don’t be scared by the long list of ingredients, it is really easy to make.
Serves 2-3
Time: Prep 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients
Vegetables
2 cups rinsed, cooked chickpeas (canned ok)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 Asian-Style Eggplant, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 carrot, cut into ¼ inch pieces
½ onion chopped roughly
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1” piece of ginger, minced
1 green pepper, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
½ lemon
*Optional Vegetable additions: ½-1 cup of any of the following:
-cauliflower
-diced potatoes
-diced sweet potatoes
-cut green beans
Spices & Oil
2 Tablespoons neutral oil or ghee
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder of your choice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½- 1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon honey
1 ½- 2 cups water
*Optional Additions:
-2 dried chili peppers
-cayenne chili powder
Step1
Chop all the vegetables. (See Tip below)
Step 2
Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add oil and onions, ginger, garlic and dried chilis if used. Saute stirring for about 1 minute. Add curry powder, cinnamon, and cumin. Stir and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add eggplant and carrots and ½ teaspoon salt.
Saute for 1-2 minutes until fully coated. If you are using potatoes or sweet potatoes, add those at the same time.
Add 1 ½ cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 10 minutes.
Step 4
Add green peppers and other optional vegetables. Stir and cook an additional 4 minutes.
Step 5
Add chickpeas, stir well. Add honey and stir. Cook for 2 minutes.
Step 6
Add tomatoes, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes
Step 7
Add ¾ of the basil and turn off the heat. Stir gently. Add the juice of the lemon.
Serve over a bed of rice or with a flatbread of your choice.
Tip: I like to put my ingredients into groups in order of their addition to the cooking process.
Group 1: Onion, garlic, ginger & chili pepper if using
Group 2: Dry spices: Curry powder, cumin, cinnamon
Group 3: Eggplant, carrot and any potatoes if using
Group 4: Green pepper and any optional quick cooking veggies like cauliflower or green beans
This recipe is from Rebecca’s kitchen. She is the daughter of Rebec’s founder, Richard Hanson. She’s “The Cook” of the family and loves using the bounty from her extensive organic gardens at her home at Rebec Vineyards. If you love gardening, you can follow on her YouTube channel MountainViewGardens https://youtube.com/@mountainviewgardens
