So I picked up Marie Kondo’s, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, after hearing about her miracles with decluttering even the messiest abodes. I don’t consider myself messy, but I own too many things, and they sure get in the way of my creative vibes. I’m only a third of the way through Kondo’s book, and I can already picture myself walking around the house, discarding things don’t “spark joy” (<— that’s the KonMari standard). The most surprising part is that I’m geeking out about folding my clothes!! The KonMari method is not to stack up your folded clothes, but to fold them in a special way and line up the bundles next to each other inside your drawer. When you pull it open, you’ll be able to every piece of clothing all at once. That’s genius. I’ve been boring the hubs about this book for the last few days, and he thinks it’s all a bunch of nonsense, or “hippie voodoo stuff,” as he calls it. But I’m buying into the KonMari. Considering that my home is the place that I live in and work from, I want to try my best this year to make it comfortably habitable. In the spirit of cleaning things up, I made this eggplant bliss bowl with mint and cilantro chutney, which I’ve adapted from Tony Singh’s cookbook, Tasty. I got the book over Christmas, and it’s filled with recipes for irresistibly delicious grub. What I like most about this eggplant bliss bowl is that it tastes light and clean, but it doesn’t skimp on flavor. The sauce is versatile, so feel free to make it for a hearty dinner or use it to flavor your egg scramble in the morning!
MASTERING MY MISTAKES / COOKING NOTES
Quick Version: In the instructions below, I go through the method of cooking your eggplant with your broiler. If you’re pressed for time or don’t have a broiler, check out the non-broiler method of cooking this dish in the notes.Cooking the Eggplant: In Tony Singh’s version of the recipe, you char the outer skin of the eggplant by placing it over your hob or in the broiler. Then, you submerge the eggplant in cold water and peel off the skin. This is supposed to give the eggplant more smoky flavor. I tried charring the eggplant on the hob, and it took a while. More than anything, I was worried about burning the house down, and I still didn’t quite get the smoky flavor that I had hoped. To me, cutting the eggplant in rounds and broiling them is the safer way to go, and the sauce will still taste delicious.Cooking with Low Heat is Key: This recipe uses very little oil, so you’ll want to cook this at a medium-low to low heat to keep the vegetables from burning. Yes, this also means that the cooking time will be a longer, but you’ll have the tantalizing scents of this dish to keep you company.For the yogurt sauce: If you want to make the yogurt sauce, use plain low-fat yogurt instead of strained yogurt. I find strained yogurt to be a bit too dry for making sauces.More Recipe Ideas: There’s so many ways you can use the eggplant and pepper sauce. Use it to flavor your wraps, have it with scrambled eggs, or stir in some cooked ground meat for extra protein.
If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes by leaving a comment or sending me a message! Or take a photo of the food and tag me on Instagram so that I can give you a fist bump! I love seeing your creations! Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. The immersion blender is an essential tool in my kitchen, and it’s great for blending small batches of food.
