I never realized that there were so many ways to make curry until a few of my friends got into a discussion of the virtues of the different types. There’s red, made with red chiles; green, made with green chiles; and yellow, made with turmeric. Countries all across Asia, from India to Malaysia to Thailand (and Mongolia!), have dishes called curries—all spicy. Then there’s the wet/dry divide, which has to do with how much sauce the dish has. In case you’re interested, this is a dry, yellow, Indian-style curry.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　4 green onions

　　1 large eggplant

　　2 potatoes

　　1 large onion

　　1 red bell pepper

　　3 cloves garlic

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

　　3 tablespoons curry powder

　　1 cup water

　　1/2 vegetable bouillon cube

　　Salt and pepper

　　2 cups cooked jasmine rice (see page 6)

　　

Step 1

Trim the green onions, discarding the ends, and cut the white and about 1 inch of the green part into thin slices. Trim and discard the stem of the eggplant, then peel it and cut into 1-inch cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Peel the onion and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the stem, seeds, and membranes, and cut into 1/3-inch pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic or pass it through a garlic press.

　　

Step 2

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, potato, onion, and bell pepper, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, uncovered, for 1 minute. Drain the tomatoes and add to the pan along with the curry powder, the water, and the bouillon cube. Simmer over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender, then season with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 3

Spoon the rice into 4 shallow bowls and top with the curry. Sprinkle with the green onions and serve immediately.

　　

food trivia

Step 4

Eggplant is probably one of the least appreciated vegetables in the Western world. As a cousin to belladonna, or deadly nightshade, Europeans believed it induced insanity and called it the “mad apple” until just two hundred years ago. Fortunately, Asians didn’t share those beliefs. They began cultivating eggplant (which is native to India) as early as the fifth century B.C.E.

　　College Vegetarian Cooking