This easy aubergine and chickpea curry only takes 45 minutes to prepare, but it's full of flavour and delicious as a mid-week-dinner. It's a naturally vegan curry that blends the texture of aubergines and chickpeas with the creaminess of coconut milk into one tasty treat.
It's hard to say no to a vegan aubergine curry that's easy to make and doesn't require a very long list of ingredients. This simple chickpea and aubergine curry is not very fiery (unless you want it to be) and pairs perfectly with a bowl of rice or some naan for a hassle-free yet delicious dinner.
I only use a couple of spices for this aubergine chickpea curry, which is perfect if you're craving curry but don't have lots of spices in your cupboard.
I make this curry creamy by adding a can of full-fat coconut milk, but you can use a light version if you want to cut down on calories. Just keep in mind that it won't be as creamy.
How to cook aubergine in a curry?
There are two ways to cook aubergine in a curry. The first is to fry the aubergines in the same pan in which you'll make the curry. This is also the easiest way to go about it, as you don't have to heat up the oven.
The second method uses the oven and is a bit more time-consuming. Cut the aubergines in chunks, spray them with a bit of oil, then roast them on a tray lined with baking paper for about 20 minutes.
If you decide to go for the first method (which is the one I prefer, so the instructions in the recipe card below are written for it), you'll need to salt the aubergines before cooking. This is because aubergines soak up oil very quickly, almost like a sponge, but salting them before cooking reduces that. Salting also adds flavour to the aubergines and tightens the flesh too.
How do you make aubergine and chickpea curry?
Once the aubergines are cut and salted, you can start making the curry.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan, and fry the aubergines for 7-8 minutes until they're soft and slightly golden. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and set them aside.
- In the same pan, add the rest of the oil and fry the red onion for 1-2 minutes until it softens.
- Add the minced garlic, ginger and red chilli and continue to cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. I use fresh garlic and ginger in this recipe, but if you're in a hurry, 1 tablespoon of garlic-ginger paste works just as well.
- Next, add the curry powder, garam masala and cumin, and continue to cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, and then stir in the chickpeas. I use tinned chickpeas for convenience and speed, but you can use chickpeas that you have left to soak overnight and then cooked for 30-45 minutes until tender.
- Stir in the coconut milk, bring the curry to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Now all you have to do is tip the aubergines back in the pan and cook for a couple more minutes until the curry has just the right thickness for your liking.
- Serve the vegan chickpea curry with basmati rice or naan bread and topped with some fresh coriander if you like.
Recipe tips and tricks
- If you want to enhance the taste of the tomatoes, you can add 1 tablespoon of concentrated tomato paste with the spices.
- To make the curry more fiery, add ½ red chilli instead of just ¼. If you like your curries very spices, don't de-seed it.
- I use red onion in this curry because I like how it pairs with the aubergines, but you can substitute it with yellow onion.
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Aubergine and Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon canola or coconut oil, divided
- 2 small aubergines, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 medium red onions, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- ¼ red chilli, seeded and minced
- 1 tablespoon medium curry powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can (14 oz / 400 g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 can (14 oz/ 400 g)chickpeas
- 1 can 13.5 fl. oz / 400 ml coconut milk
- Fresh coriander, to serve, optional
Instructions
- Cut the aubergines into ½-inch cubes, salt them generously, give them a good stir, then set them aside in a colander as you continue prepping the rest of the ingredients. If you have time, you can leave them for up to an hour.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan, and fry the aubergines for 7-8 minutes until they're soft and slightly golden. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and set them aside.2 small aubergines
- Add the other 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and fry the red onion for 1-2 minutes until it softens. Add the minced garlic, ginger and red chilli and continue to cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.2 medium red onions4 garlic cloves1 tbsp ginger¼ red chilli
- Next, add the curry powder, garam masala and cumin, and continue to cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, and then stir in the chickpeas. Stir in the coconut milk, bring the curry to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.1 tbsp medium curry powder1 tbsp garam masala1 tsp ground cumin1 can (14 oz / 400 g) chopped tomatoes1 can (14 oz/ 400 g)chickpeas1 can 13.5 fl. oz / 400 ml coconut milk
- Tip in the aubergines and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has the thickness you prefer. Serve with rice or naan and topped with fresh coriander if you like.Fresh coriander
Noreen
My family enjoyed your recipe…especially my 4 year old son and 8 year old niece 😀 I will definitely be making it again.
Paris
Glad you liked it Noreen.
Ali
Delicious! Thank you