Okra and Eggplant Stew

I am not a fan of eggplants, as some of you have realized in my comments in your blogs or in my own writings.



But I have had this spicy eggplant dish in an Indian restaurant before and found it very delicious. Tomatoes- yes! Once again, if I could encourage you to try bittermelon with tomatoes, why can't I convince myself to do eggplants with tomatoes so that I would eat eggplant?



To create more substance and add more vegetables in this dish, I use another old recipe of mine - okra with tomatoes and include some eggplant mash into an already stew-like dish. Okra is very good in stews since the "slimy" factor perfects the stew consistency. Remember the last time you had Gumbo? Traditionally, one of the key ingredients is okra. Today, however, gumbo has evolved to the point where it is often made without the inclusion of okra.



So I decided to add the mash of one eggplant and make myself eat eggplant.



Can't even see the eggplant....it is that obvious.

Okra and Eggplant Mash Stew

(partially inspired by Real Simple - Eggplant Caviar, then adapted from the same recipe)



Ingredients: Similar to Recipe: Okra with Tomatoes; one eggplant



Directions: Roast the eggplant in the oven and scrap the flesh when eggplant is cooked (Refer to pictures below). Similar to Recipe: Okra with Tomatoes. When okra is almost cooked, add in the flesh of the eggplant





Tip: Before roasting the eggplant, use a fork and pierce a few holes on the eggplant.





You can eat the mash-stew with rice or pasta!





The skin of purple eggplants contains its most valuable nutrient, a powerful antioxidant: nasunin which is a type of flavonoid present in many fruits and vegetables with red, blue and purple hues (berries, beets and red cabbage, to name a few). Choose the purple varieties when you shop, and leave the skin on. I am trying to get used to eggplant, so no skin-on for me this time.





This goes to PPN host ~ Ruth of Once Upon a Feast ~ also the creator of this event (round up is 1 Oct). This also goes to My Meatless Mondays; and





Tag: eggplant, okra, stew



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