Here’s some of what I found: boxes of spices that are still unopened, bags of grains and cans of beans that have never seen the light of day, red and green candy melts that I’ll never use. I’ve only been in my new home for three months, and I’ve managed to fill it to the brim with unnecessary things. I need to clean up my act, literally.
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!
Eggplant Bliss Bowl with Mint and Cilantro Chutney
Ingredients
Eggplant & Red Pepper Sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds (665g) eggplant, about 2 medium ones
- non-stick spray
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, about 135g, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 1 green onion, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste*
- 2/3 cup canned diced tomatoes, about 1/2 can
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mint and Cilantro Chutney
- 1/2 cup (30g) fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 cup (25g) cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 green onion, dark green part only, roughly chopped
- 1/2- inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons agave, or any sweetener
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
To Serve
- 4 cups cooked basmati rice
- 1 14-ounce (400g) can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup (125g) low-fat yogurt
Instructions
- (For stovetop method, see notes.) Preheat your broiler.** Wash eggplant and slice into rounds that are about 1/4-inch thick. Lay slices over paper towels and sprinkle some salt over them. Let them sit for 15 minutes to draw out moisture from the eggplant, then wipe it down. Line a large baking sheet with foil and coat with non-stick oil spray. Cover with a single layer of sliced eggplant. You may need to broil eggplant in two batches. Broil each side of the eggplant for 4 to 5 minutes, or until you start seeing a bit of browning. When the eggplant is done, pile up eggplant and wrap them up with the foil. Set aside for a few minutes. Open foil packets, let them air out a bit and peel off eggplant skin. They should come off easily. Be careful though—the eggplant can still be quite hot!
- Heat a large sauté pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil over low to medium-low heat. Cook the red onions for a few minutes until they soften, stirring constantly to keep them from burning. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium and add eggplant flesh, green onions, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Blend ingredients with an immersion blender or a food processor.
- Prepare chutney by blending all ingredients with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth. If you find the ingredients are difficult to blend, add water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, to thin out the sauce. You may need to adjust the seasonings. To make the yogurt sauce in the photos, mix 1/2 cup yogurt with 1 tablespoon of the chutney.
- Serve eggplant and pepper sauce and chutney over rice and chickpeas.
Notes
Nutrition
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.
Mandy @Mandy's Recipe Box says
What an interesting dish! I love eggplant.
Lisa says
Thanks, Mandy!
Danae @ Recipe Runner says
I’ve been hearing about the Tidying Up book and after looking at my closet am starting to think I need to check it out. The bliss bowl is just that! I’m in love with the flavor of all these ingredients, it looks magical!
Lisa says
Yes, DEFINITELY check out that book! I’m actually getting excited about cleaning after reading it!
Dietitian Debbie says
OMG – this bliss bowl sounds amazing! I was just thinking I wanted to pick up an eggplant when I went shopping this weekend. Now I know what I’ll be making! I’ve heard so many good things about The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – maybe it’s time I finally checked it out.
Lisa says
Thank you soo much, Debbie!! I’m smitten with eggplant right now, so I’ll probably play with these ingredients more in the next few weeks. Definitely check out Kondo’s book!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
This dish absolutely gorgeous, Lisa! The color of that chutney is stunning. And the flavors sound amazing together! Pure bliss. 😉
And I need to check out The Magic of Tidying-Up too! I’m trying to adapt more of a minimalist lifestyle moving forward so it sounds like it’s right up my alley!
Lisa says
Thanks, Sarah! I’m with you–I want to adapt to a more minimalist lifestyle as well. I’ve just realized that I buy way too much and could probably do without all 50 samples of soaps and makeup I have lying around the house! Definitely pick up that book!
Cindy says
I can totally see Chris being skeptical of the KonMari method…Sean totally is, too!! Ha! I just bought the book and have yet to crack it open, but I’m excited about it. I already did a massive purge of my closet but the rest of my house needs an overhaul, as well.
PS, this bowl looks delish! I’m definitely going to add it to the rotation.
Lisa says
Haha, I can just imagine the two of them with Yuri, sitting around, trying to tell me why that book is useless. I’ve highlighted sections of that book for me to go back and reread. Too nerdy?
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
What a kooky story. I love it! And this eggplant bowl is surely bliss 🙂
Lisa says
Haha, thanks, Sarah!
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
The flavors in this bowl sound too good to resist! Mint and cilantro is a great combination and I definitely need to add this to my weeknight menu soon. Thanks for sharing your tips too!
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Ashley! Mint and cilantro are great together!
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
OMG I am KonMari-ing the shit out of my house this month! It’s actually quite invigorating and is making me realize how much stuff I have lying around the house. These photos are beautiful and these eggplant bliss bowls sound so enticing! <3
Lisa says
NO WAY!! You are the first person I know who’s actually doing it! I know she advocates one big purge, but I think I might need to focus one category per day. It may take me a month to sort through all my clothes, cookbooks (eek!), kitchen stuff, and sample shampoos that I never use! Please let me know how you’ve handled your kitchen!!! I can use some pointers!
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
I can’t stop staring at the last to photographs, Lisa. I just want to dive in and swim in this luxurious bowl of goodness. Eggplant is such a comfort food for me, but Rob doesn’t care for it… so I don’t make it as often as I like. I’ve gotta change that! I was reading through the recipe and didn’t see the coriander in the chutney.. how much? I heard a story on NPR just yesterday about Kondo’s book and recall a friend telling me about it last summer. It sounds compelling and something I’d like to do. Rob would consider it ‘hippy voodoo stuff’ too! HAHA!! It’s funny the differences between the male and female mind. I’m intrigued about the laundry folding method. My drawers are quite cluttered and I often get lazy and just lay the clothing in the drawer, instead of folding : o !! No doubt working and from home presents unique challenges with regards to organization. I’m still trying to find a good spot for photo boards, other than behind doors. Thank you for this flavor packed recipe Lisa! So delicious!
Lisa says
Traci, thanks for leaving me the note about the recipe! Ack, cilantro is called coriander in England, so I’ve been saying coriander a lot when talking to my family. As I was writing this recipe, I kept switching back and forth between cilantro and coriander, and I thought I had stuck to one of those words. Thanks for catching it!!!
I know this sounds crazy, but I’m so excited to clean my house right now. The book not only taught me about tidying up the house, but also how to let go of things that have already served its purpose for me. I might have to do some before and after photos once I get my kitchen cleaned up!!
Lena says
So, this is stupidly good. I am obsessed with eggplant but have had difficulty cooking it without using copious amounts of oil. I made this tonight and I couldn’t be happier, the broiler will definitely be my go-to method for making eggplant from now on. My (very limited) grocery store did not have mint, so I used basil, which luckily turned out really well. I’ll most definitely make this again the next time mint is stocked. I threw some feta on top because apparently I’m unable to eat things that do not have at least a small amount of cheese in it, which was delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe, it has revolutionized the preparation of one of my favorite vegetables!
Lisa says
Lena, thank you very much for trying out this recipe, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I had the exact same problem with cooking eggplant before. Eggplant is such an oil sponge, and I didn’t like having to add oil constantly while I cooked it on the stove top. I haven’t tried this recipe with basil or feta yet, but they sound like wonderful additions. Thanks again for leaving a comment, Lena!
Rachael@AvocadoADayNutrition says
So I need this book. Can we talk about how it took me 7 minutes to reposition the random kitchen utensils in on drawer simply so I could close it? It was like the worst game of tetris ever. I lost. On a happier note, LOVE this eggplant bowl! My favorite vegetable!
Lisa says
Hahaha, OMG, I have SO been there! Marie Kondo’s book is amazing! Definitely worth reading!
Charity says
The other way i’ve done it without oil is to prick the whole eggplant a few times with a fork and put the whole eggplant in the oven under broil and once the whole eggplant shrinks a bit and the skin is darkened, you can let cool slightly and open up and the eggplant just falls off the skin. Super easy and tasty!
Lisa Lin says
Awesome! Will definitely try that method soon! I have an eggplant staring at me, waiting to be cooked!
Misty says
I just made this tonight. We loved it! We added sour cream and a little cheese. Thank you!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for making this, Misty! So glad you enjoyed it!
Samantha says
The cilantro mint chutney is AMAZING. Gonna make that a salad dressing just for life. The whole dish is really good. I added cucumber for a fresh crunch! The eggplant was a bitch to deal with (hence 4 stars) but the dish is delish!