Tangy eggplanty chicken…
Fish and tamarind goes well, but I never thought that chicken and tamarind goes well too. My true intention was to finish up the eggplants in my refrigerator before they got spoiled, making a veggie dish was in my mind. As I started cooking, I found myself deviating in a totally different route. I first cooked the eggplant after marinating them with some spices, added tamarind paste to it and made it into a roast form. It tasted so good that I could’ve had that with roti or rice. Then, all of a sudden I went crazy. I took the chicken out of the freezer, cleaned it, diced it and cooked it, then pureed the eggplant roast, added the cooked chicken to it and added some more tamarind paste to it and sprinkled with cilantro. Yay, I screamed it’s done. I know you must be frowning too, trust me it tasted really delicious and quite different too. Eggplant sauce tasted so flavorful and the mildly tangy taste of this dish was just phenomenal.
Eggplant Chicken
Ingredients
To marinate eggplant
- Eggplant, small- 8, cut vertical or diced ( I used small Indian eggplant)
- Ground pepper- 1/4 tsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder- 1 1/2 tsp (or use 1 tsp regular chili powder)
- Cumin powder- 1 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
- Salt- to taste
To add while cooking eggplant:
- Tamarind juice- 4 tbsp (2 inch fresh slice soaked in 4 tbsp warm water, combine in water and strain the juice)
- Oil- 3 tbsp
Other ingredients
- Chicken, boneless, cubed- 3 chicken breasts
- Tamarind juice- 4 tbsp ( I used fresh tamarind soaked in water, if using concentrated paste use only 1/2 tsp or so as it’s very tangy)
- White sesame seeds- 3 tbsp
- Ground pepper or chili powder- 1/2 tsp or so according to your spice level
- Salt- to taste
- Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful
Instruction
- I used small Indian eggplants, you could use any variety, dice it or cut vertically.
- In a small bowl, combine eggplant along with all the spices mentioned above to marinate the eggplant, set aside for 5 minutes.
- Heat a large non-stick pan, add 3 tbsp oil and swirl the pan to spread the oil all over the pan.
- Spread the eggplant on the pan, cook covered till eggplant turns tender and starts to turn golden in color.
- If it starts to brown, add some water and cook.
- Soak fresh tamarind in 4 tbsp warm water, combine it in water using your hand and strain the juice.
- If using concentrated tamarind paste, add only 1/2 tsp or so.
- Add tamarind juice to the cooked eggplant and cook for a few more minutes till it turns thick.
- Remove the pan from the heat, let eggplants cool down a bit.
- Puree the eggplants along with white sesame seeds in a blender along with enough water to make a thick paste.
- Keep aside the eggplant sauce.
- Cook the chicken covered in the same pan used for cooking eggplant, cook till chicken has done well.
- Add the eggplant puree to the cooked chicken.
- Add 4 tbsp more fresh tamarind juice, if using concentrated tamarind paste add only a little.
- Combine well and add some water to thin down the sauce.
- Add ground pepper or chili powder if you want it to be spicy.
- Taste and add salt.
- Finish it off with cilantro.
- Transfer the eggplant chicken to a bowl, sprinkle 2 tsp sesame seeds over it and serve with rice or roti.
- You can even serve this as a soup.
Tips:
- The cooked eggplant tasted really good, you can serve that as a side veggie dish.
- The eggplant sauce by itself tastes good too.
Chicken in Eggplant Sauce
Ingredients
To marinate eggplant
- Eggplant, small- 8, cut vertical or diced ( I used small Indian eggplant)
- Ground pepper- ¼ tsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder- 1½ tsp (or use 1 tsp regular chili powder)
- Cumin powder- 1½ tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Salt- to taste
To add while cooking eggplant:
- Tamarind juice- 4 tbsp (2 inch fresh slice soaked in 4 tbsp warm water, combine in water and strain the juice)
- Oil- 3 tbsp
Other ingredients
- Chicken, boneless, cubed- 3 chicken breasts
- Tamarind juice- 4 tbsp ( I used fresh tamarind soaked in water, if using concentrated paste use only ½ tsp or so as it's very tangy)
- White sesame seeds- 3 tbsp
- Ground pepper or chili powder- ½ tsp or so according to your spice level
- Salt- to taste
- Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful
Instructions
- I used small Indian eggplants, you could use any variety, dice it or cut vertically.
- In a small bowl, combine eggplant along with all the spices mentioned above to marinate the eggplant, set aside for 5 minutes.
- Heat a large non-stick pan, add 3 tbsp oil and swirl the pan to spread the oil all over the pan.
- Spread the eggplant on the pan, cook covered till eggplant turns tender and starts to turn golden in color.
- If it starts to brown, add some water and cook.
- Soak fresh tamarind in 4 tbsp warm water, combine it in water using your hand and strain the juice.
- If using concentrated tamarind paste, add only ½ tsp or so.
- Add tamarind juice to the cooked eggplant and cook for a few more minutes till it turns thick.
- Remove the pan from the heat, let eggplants cool down a bit.
- Puree the eggplants along with white sesame seeds in a blender along with enough water to make a thick paste.
- Keep aside the eggplant sauce.
- Cook the chicken covered in the same pan used for cooking eggplant, cook till chicken has done well.
- Add the eggplant puree to the cooked chicken.
- Add 4 tbsp more fresh tamarind juice, if using concentrated tamarind paste add only a little.
- Combine well and add some water to thin down the sauce.
- Add ground pepper or chili powder if you want it to be spicy.
- Taste and add salt.
- Finish it off with cilantro.
- Transfer the eggplant chicken to a bowl, sprinkle 2 tsp sesame seeds over it and serve with rice or roti.
- You can even serve this as a soup.
Notes
The cooked eggplant tasted really good, you can serve that as a side veggie dish.
The eggplant sauce by itself tastes good too.
The eggplant sauce by itself tastes good too.
