This easy smoked eggplant sauce is a fusion of Sri Lankan and Indian cooking. It was Inspired by my own Sri Lankan family heritage. Also, this “aubergine bharta spin-off” inspired by multiple eggplant recipes from Sri Lankan and Indian cooks, with somewhat based on what I had seen made at homes in north India, where I was studying. What amazes me is how much the different cooking methods and seasoning from two countries would come together to complement and give such a flavorful, healthy easy smoked eggplant sauce.
Another reason for calling today’s easy smoked eggplant sauce recipe different from its origins is in its ingredients, texture, and mouthfeel. This eggplant recipe is inspired by two famous eggplant curry recipes, but it truly is meant to be a dip or a sauce. Inspiration from my own spicy firecracker eggplant curry and Pune style baingan bharta gives it much smoother and better eating experience. Milder flavors, creaminess, and its silky sauce makes this easy smoked eggplant sauce unique and make it versatile in weekly meal planning.
Mild flavors and texture in this easy smoked eggplant sauce also make it a great stand-alone dip or a sauce for snacks as well. More to that, it also holds up well without separating and releasing its moisture when made ahead for freezing.
What is correct ? An Eggplant, Aubergine, or a Brinjal
All these names are correct.
Eggplants come in several different varieties. Difference in shape, habitat, cooking techniques, and taste of it after cooking distinctive to each variety. It is one of my favorite vegetable from the nightshade family. They are called aubergines in Europe, Brinjal in Asia and Baingan in Hindi. Thai eggplants, pea eggplants, African, Chinese and fairy tale eggplants are more popular in Sri Lanka.
I have a published post of a recipe for Thai aubergines on my blog a few months back, which is very different than the sauce we are talking about today. Each eggplant verity use a different cooking method in Sri Lanka that we won’t get into details in this post.
Baingan bharta is made with American eggplants, and they are popular in India as well as in many other countries. My easy smoked eggplant sauce recipe also uses American eggplants. To avoid confusion, I will only introduce eggplant or Brinjal recipes that inspired my easy smoked eggplant sauce in the next sections of this post.
Sri Lankan Fried Brinjal recipe
Sri Lankan fried Brinjal or aubergine curry is made with fairy-tale eggplants or Chinese eggplant strips that are seasoned and deep-fried. Although an everyday home cook makes her easy Sri Lankan eggplant curry in one pot, frying eggplant before making the curry gives it an extra flavor boost. The Chinese eggplant / fairy-tale eggplants have concentrated flavor. Frying makes it even more flavorful. I enjoy making Sri Lankan eggplant fry or Asian eggplant stir fry over rice on some of the weeknights. On those days, I keep them milder, kid-friendly, curry dinners.
When I do have little time and can plan ahead, I make a Sri Lankan firecracker spicy eggplant curry after air frying eggplant strips. Air frying cuts down the frying and cooking time and makes flavors of eggplants concentrated while keeping them healthier, low calorie, and low fat. Either way, Sri Lankan fried Brinjal at my home is spicy enough to flavor Sri Lankan rice and curry dinner to make it adult favorite.
Indian Eggplant recipe is also a massive flavor inspiration
Baingan bharta, the signature Indian roasted Brinjal recipe, is a medium spicy dish made with American eggplants roasted over fire and then cooked with Indian spices, plenty of caramelized onions and tomatoes. It is a hearty dish with spicy roasted, nutty flavors and is great to pair with bread and naan.
Easy smoked eggplant sauce from my kitchen is different than any of the recipes that it was inspired by.
This healthier version of easy smoked eggplant sauce we are making is a lot closer to Indian way of cooking eggplants, except for flavor combinations. It uses American eggplants for the juicy, succulent nature and mild flavors. Along with that, I am using milder Sri Lankan flavors to make a spice blend that complements soft and creamy texture of American eggplants along with roasted garlic oil with a hint of Italian seasoning. It gives my easy smoked eggplant sauce a nice aroma, flavor, and light but creamy mouthfeel without being overpowering and rich.
I chose to roast the eggplant carefully over the direct fire and keep some of the charred skin to give my dish a richer color and smoky flavor. Eggplants were fully cooked at the end of charring and resulting in much creamier sauce, with plenty of olive oil infused into the sauce in cooking.
Why is this a healthy eggplant recipe?
Apart from bringing many health benefits to eggplants, I wanted to make my easy eggplant dip recipe loaded with healthy, unsaturated olive oil instead of using ghee or coconut oil. I love the flavor of ghee in aubergine bharta and hints of coconut in Sri Lankan fried Brinjal curry, I wanted to keep all the saturated fat out my version of easy smoked eggplant sauce.
Roasting eggplants over fire or grilling eggplants instead of frying it helps to make the sauce non greasy and keep eggplants from absorbing all the frying fat into it.
A good dose of anti-inflammatory spices in Sri Lankan yellow curry as well as Italian style herbs and olive oil promotes good gut health.
Serving suggestions with easy smoked eggplant sauce
I love to make and keep the smoked eggplant sauce as a quick toss over pasta or spaghetti as a quick pasta sauce. Just scoop up over drained spaghetti and toss, finishing with quicker shake of Parmesan cheese.
An afternoon teatime or snacking with friends, this simple eggplant sauce can be served up on the side of Sri Lankan style charcuterie board.
Do you Like eating savory curry for breakfast? serve up this easy smoked eggplant sauce over toast, spicy fried potatoes with an egg, bacon, or sausage for delicious savory breakfast. Another favorite is to scoop over a bowl of Sri Lankan kiribath for another delicious Sri Lankan style savory breakfast.
Start from scratch and travel through South Asian world of flavors with Sri Lankan fried eggplant and Indian baingan bhartha and make this delicious easy smoked eggplant sauce, to have and good all-around plant-based sauce with both Sri Lankan and Indian flavors. You would not regret it even a little bit.
Finally let’s look at the recipe with measurements
Easy Smoked Eggplant Sauce
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse and dry eggplants. Poke them a few times and place them over a direct fire, turning as they cook. Skin will be burned off and inside must be cooked. Place the eggplants in a bowl covered with a lid. allow it to cool until safe to handle.
- Once the eggplants are cool to touch, scrape off all the burned and blacked bit of the skin and cut the tops off. Roughly chop the cooked eggplant meat into a separate container. Eggplants will become soft and release some of the juices into the container, while cooling down. Filter the juices and save in a bowl to add to the sauce later.
- Dice onions, and tomatoes. Crush and mince ginger and garlic. Thinly slice curry leaves.
- Heat tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the stick of cinnamon, fenugreek seeds, followed by crushed pepper, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic. fry until fragrant.
- Add diced onions and cook until they are soft and begin to sweat. Add tomatoes and salt. cook until tomatoes become soft and start releasing the water.
- Add Salt, red curry powder, yellow curry powder, crushed red peppers and ground cumin. Mix in to make a flavor base. simmer for five minutes.
- Add the eggplants and its juices to the mixture and mix in with the flavors. Add about a cup of water and simmer on low until sauce comes together and flavors are combined. At extra water if needed to make a smooth sauce. It took me approximately 20 minutes of simmering. keep tasting for the seasoning as it cooks and add salt and little red more curry powder, if it needs it.
- Once the sauce becomes thick turn the flame off. Serve over pasta or as a dipping sauce for bread.
Notes
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