Coconut Basil Eggplant

The inspiration for this dish comes from a local restaurant called Stage. This is one of my favorite side dishes to order when we go. It matches beautifully with the butter chicken I usually order.

This eggplant is sweet and tangy all at the same time. It’s blistered fried until soft and has hints of lemon and freshness of basil. At first I thought there was some green curry going on but after experimenting with it a bit I realized the lemon with basil and coconut cream combined created an amazing flavor and no curry was involved. The original recipe is made with blistered cherry tomatoes but because my girls aren’t the biggest fans of tomatoes, I used red bell pepper instead and it adds a similar flavor and sweetness to the mix.

How I made this Coconut Basil Eggplant:

Start by heating up a large frying pan, try using one that is not very deep. Heat the pan on high heat.

Tip! A deep frying pan can make the eggplant steam and not fry properly.

Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and once it’s very hot, add the eggplant. It should immediately blister the eggplant.

Season with salt and pepper and continue to fry it.

The eggplant will very quickly absorb the olive oil. Stir the eggplant around so other sides start blistering as well.

Once the oil was been completely absorbed, add a few more tablespoons. Continue cooking the eggplant and adding oil as needed.

Tip! The purpose of the oil is to help soften the eggplant. When the pan is dry, it will sear the eggplant on the outside but it won’t soften the inside as much. Also, the amount of oil needed will depend on the size of the pan used.

Once the eggplant is mostly soft and fried but still some pieces remain a bit undercooked, add the red bell pepper. Lower the heat to medium heat.

Tip! If you don’t hear a searing sound when adding the peppers, add a bit more oil to help the peppers cook faster.

Once the peppers are starting to soften, about 2 minutes, add the shallots.

Cook the shallots until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the ginger and stir in. Lower the temperature to low.

Add the coconut milk and stir well.

Tip! Shake the coconut milk before adding it so that the thick coconut cream and milk mix well.

Add the lemon zest and re-season with salt and pepper.

Let the sauce thicken in a low boil for 2-3 minutes and turn the heat off.

Add the fresh basil and stir.

Serve warm.

This Coconut Basil Eggplant side dish goes perfectly with basmati rice and roasted chicken. I recommend the rice more than anything because the sauce gets into the rice and that is delicious!

Enjoy!