I’d never heard of the term faceplant when I stumbled upon Kath’s post all that time ago (September 2011…it does NOT feel like just over a year ago!). I’d only really started blogging and Kath was one of the my favourite bloggers from the outset. I still check in at least twice a day. Her food photography is simply incredible. She makes even the most simple of meals look incredible. Her bowls of oats and plates of pancakes never fail to inspire..pure genius!
Needless to say the title “Eggplant, Faceplant” caught my eye and when I read the post and saw where she was going with it the simplicity of the joke made me chuckle to myself. The photos of that eggplant and millet curry bowl were incredibly impressive and most definitely mouth watering.
It’s a dish I’ve attempted to recreate on many occasions (initially without the coconut milk as I still fear high fat foods…followed by a millet free version…I basically attempted to make a veggie based curry with some of the components and although tasty it just didn’t match up to that bowl of deliciousness she had shared).
On Saturday I finally got around to making it again. I’ve been on a bit of an eggplant kick of late and fancied the curried eggplant combination. Millet, prunes, chickpeas, coconut and all…everything went in the mix, topped off with toasted peanuts and fresh coriander…it was everything those pictures suggested and more.
Creamy, coconutty, soft and comforting….I made a few changes in terms of my cooking method and added in processed cauliflower with the millet to make for a man sized bowl of curried goodness to fill my belly.
It was damn good! Plenty of healthy fats, protein, carbs, and lots of veggies along with heaps of flavour and a wonderful array of textures. It was a perfectly balanced meal in every sense of the word.
Chickpeas, eggplant and cauliflower with curry…it really is the ultimate combination.
Not only did I make the curry on Saturday but I also faceplanted nice and early in preparation for early Sunday morning rise and also in light of my busy baking day which had started with quite the workout (Zuzana never fails to make me sweat!).
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Eggplant Cauliflower Chickpea Millet Curry Bowl (inspired by Kath Eats)
Servings – 1
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 25 – 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked millet
- 1/2 cup raw cauliflower finely processed
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 3 medium prunes roughly chopped
- 1/2 small white onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 60ml (1/4 cup) almond milk
- 125ml (1/2 cup) coconut milk
- 1 tbsp toasted peanuts
- Fresh coriander to serve
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Place eggplant on a non stick baking tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Blend together onion, garlic, ginger, olive oil, garam masala and curry powder to a paste. Add a splash of water if it doesn’t come together.
- Place paste in a non stick pot and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring to ensure even cooking.
- Add in almond milk and coconut milk, bring to the boil, add in prunes and simmer while the eggplant cooks. Add process cauliflower to the oven for the final 5 minutes of cooking time alongside the eggplant.
- Add millet, eggplant and cauliflower to the pot, season with salt and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes, or until desired consistency and perfectly heated through.
- Serve in a big bowl sprinkled with toasted peanuts and fresh coriander.
