Curried Eggplant Chickpea & Coconut Stew
My kitchen is my sanctuary. My absolute happy place. It’s where I unwind after a long day in the dirt. When we are tirelessly working in the fields my kitchen isn’t far from my mind. I’m constantly inspired by what’s in season at the farm for dinner inspiration and I always look forward to the end of the day when I can strip out of my dirty farm clothes, slip into my p.j’s, put on my favorite slippers and relax for the first time all day. My kitchen is an amazing place where amazing things happen. I don’t stress out in my kitchen which is a complete contrast from how I feel out in the fields (it’s beyond stressful out there!). I love trading my farmers hat for my cooking apron at the end of the day.
Even though the farm can be stressful I am always so grateful for the bounty we are rewarded with. When we started farming 5 years ago I made it my mission to guarantee we would always sit down to a farm fresh meal every evening. It doesn’t always happen, but more often than not we are relaxing with a home cooked meal at the end of the farm day. Taylor and I have worked out a routine that allows me to come in from the fields a few hours before he does so I can prepare dinner, take photos if it’s something I want to share on the blog, pour myself a glass of wine and enjoy the peacefulness of standing in front of my stove mindlessly stirring a pot of soup or whatever it may be. I look forward to this ritual every.single.day. I also know Taylor looks forward to a little quite time in the fields on his own. We spend a LOT of time together (24 hours a day to be precise!) and separate chores can be really healthy.
This soup was a happy accident last week. It rained for the first time in ages and I wanted something simple, hearty and comforting. I wasn’t planning on having an “out-of-this-world” soup, but we both agreed it was just that. We haven’t stopped talking about it since and the leftovers where even more delicious the following day. I wasn’t originally going to document this recipe but after I dipped my spoon into the pot for a taste test I quickly whipped out my camera, found my note pad, and jotted down what I thought were accurate measurements! I immediately knew that this soup should be shared!
With that being said, please take the measurements for this recipe with a grain of salt (as always!) I typically don’t measure my ingredients but when I know I’m going to blog a recipe I take notes as I go. That didn’t happen here but I am confident you all can create this with the guided recipe below. Cooking should be fun, experimental and always catered to your own preferences! I really hope you all give this soup a whirl and that your family has the same “out-of-this-world” experience as we did. Grab a spoon and enjoy!
Curried Eggplant + Chickpea & Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Serves: 4-6
- 3 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, minced
- 1 serrano pepper, diced (remove seeds for less heat)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons good quality curry powder + additional for a little more kick
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, less if you are sensitive to spice
- 1 medium-large eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs?), cut into 1 inch chunks (no need to peel)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced, or 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, if from the can rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk, reserve a little cream from the top of the can for garnish and reserve any additional liquid for smoothies!
- 4 cups vegetable broth (plus more to thin if necessary)
- Plenty of salt and pepper to taste
- juice from 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, minced
Preparation
- In a large stock pot heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, serrano pepper, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Cook until the onions becomes slightly soft and the spices are fragrant. About 5 minutes.
- Stir in the eggplant, honey, tamari, tomatoes and chickpeas. Cook until fragrant. About 3-5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, veggie stock and plenty of salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Add more veggie stock (or water) if too much liquid evaporates.
- Carefully, with an immersion blender roughly puree half to 3/4 of the soup. Leave it slightly chunky for texture. You can also do this by carefully transferring half of the soup to a blender. Process until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot with the remaining "chunky" soup and stir until well combined.
- Season soup with fresh lime juice, lime zest and plenty of minced cilantro. Adjust salt and pepper as needed and serve hot with a dollop of coconut cream.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Taste test as you go. *Have fun in the kitchen.
Sweet!! Just yesterday I decided that I needed to cook with more eggplants AND make more curries, perfect timing! I just made your coconut corn chowder and it was soooooo good. Can’t wait to make this! Thank you for the recipe!!
you’re welcome! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!!!
I always love to hear more about your daily routine! I used to wonder how you’d have time to farm AND cook these beautiful meals, and now I know! 🙂
I’m glad you enjoy hearing the farm stories!
Sounds very yummy. I love the use of eggplant, not to mention coconut milk and curry.
Best flavor combinations ever!
I loved your blog today!! For some reason this year I have an abundance of eggplant from the garden and cannot wait to make this soup, however, it would be nice if it were to rain here too.
Crossing my fingers that you get some rain! Enjoy this soup when you decide to make it 🙂
I love everything about this. What I would do to spend the day in the fields and then come in to make dinner and sip a glass of wine… Also, I am going to make this soup tonight because it sounds incredible!
I hope you enjoyed the soup!!!
Andrea, you are SO amazing, cooking such perfect meals after a long hard day on the field.
VERY inspiring.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Kimberly
Thanks for reading along!
I love hearing about life on the farm! Your photos of delicious food and daily life are my escape from my cubicle, and get my mind wandering to pleasant pastures and hard sweaty work with a tangible result at the end. This soup sounds perfect for a summer supper on a storm night. I love the combination of chickpeas, curry, coconut and eggplant. Delicious.
Thank you for such a lovely comment! I hope you give this recipe a whirl!
I’m out on Nantucket making this for a party we are having tonight (it smells delicious!) and thinking of you guys! Hugs all around from me, ok?
we miss you girl!!!!! XOXO
Beautiful recipe! This soup has some of my favourite things up in it (eggplant! chickpeas!) and some of my favourite flavours. The weather has really started to turn where I live, so comforting soups are really the ticket these days. Thanks for the recipe!
you’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it!
This is probably the best looking soup I have seen in a while & I love that you used eggplant.. I always struggle to find delicious and inventive ways to use it. Thanks for the great recipe, you can definitely consider that I will be recreating!
Hi Andrea!
I was so happy to see this recipe pop into my email inbox the other day, I had an eggplant in my fridge that desperately needed using! We had it for lunch today and it was delicious! The only modification was that I used a whole can of coconut milk and pureed the whole soup till smooth. Also, I’m living in Angola at the moment and didn’t have access to serrano peppers, so I used a different type of chili (no idea what it was!). I served it with homemade roasted garlic bread, made for such a satisfying lunch.
Thanks so much for a great recipe, will definitely be making this one in the future!
Holly
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I live in a suburb of Buffalo, NY and belong to a CSA. We have been blessed with a plentiful eggplant crop this season and were in need of more recipes. I came across your blog while reading an article in Fitness magazine where the writer mentioned it as one of their favorites to follow so I checked it out and let me tell you, it made my day. Your blog is beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed spending my Friday night combing through entries and recipes. Coconut curry has been a much loved recent discovery for our family and I was so excited to try this recipe. My husband, 13 year old, and 3 year old all LOVED it. Looking forward to trying many more of your recipes and reading more farming tales. Thank you!
I’m so happy you’ve found the blog! Enjoy the recipes. XO
I seem to always stare at eggplants at the market struggling to use them in some new and interesting way. Simply put, this soup is hands down one of the most delicious ways to eat those purple beauties. I made the soup last night for work lunches this week and it is divine. I even forgot my coconut cream, lime, and cilantro at home and it still ridiculously good. Satisfying, filling, and oh so warming. Definitely a new go to and when you do write that recipe book, I agree, this soup MUST be in it.
yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed this soup as much as we did. Thanks for the lovely comment!
Omg, this soup was AMAZING! I just made it for dinner, and my boyfriend and I aren’t really into soup, but this was on some other level. I’ve been loving all your recipes I’ve tried out so far, but this and your sweet potato chana masala were my favorite! I’ve only recently became vegan, but all these vegan recipes make me wonder why it took me so long. Thank you!
I’m so happy you loved this soup as much as we do! Thanks for the lovely comment.
I made this last night and was licking my fingers!!!!! SO DELICIOUS…as a foodie i was drooling as i first read this recipe..it was like love at first sight I had to go home and make it right away! My husband loved it too!!!!
I’m so happy you loved this as much as we did! Thanks for the lovely comment. Happy cooking!
Made this soup last night, was so tasty! Loved it, will definitely be making it again. Topped it with some pumpkin seeds for a little crunch too 🙂 x
My foodie friend shared your recipe and I made it just now, using Japanese eggplants, lite coconut milk and agave instead of honey. It is very tasty and perfect for a meat-free Friday during Lent! Thank you for sharing.
Love this recipe! I’ve made it twice and it’s perfect, as is! Love the website. Thanks
So happy you loved this recipe as much as we do. Happy cooking!
Made this stew last night and let it rest until this evening. Served it with a dollop of lemon yogurt (didn’t have lime yogurt on hand). This is the best way I’ve eaten eggplant. Very tasty, indeed! My grandkids gobbled it. I didn’t tell them what was in it until after they’d eaten….lol. They’re always saying how they don’t like eggplant…well, this time they loved it, so the joke was on them. My sister always tells me that I can make soup from a stone, but I think you may have given me a run for my money on this one!
I really can’t believe how great this site is. Keep up the good work. I’m going to tell all my friends about this place.
http://www.eatmoreliverandnoodles.com
Made this soup for the first time last night and it is AMAZING. Thank you! I did end up using less lime though (maybe mine were extra juicy?)