Indian Recipes
Aubergine and Spinach Curry
Browned cubes of aubergine and wilted spinach in a spiced tomato and onion masala: a quick vegetarian curry for a weeknight.
- Serves 4
- Prep 15 min
- Cook 30 min
- Indian
Method
Toss the aubergine with ½ teaspoon of salt. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a wide non-stick frying pan or karahi and fry the aubergine over a medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes, turning often, until browned on most sides and soft right through. Lift out on to a plate.
Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan with the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the onion and cook gently for 8 minutes until soft and golden.
Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilli and cook for 2 minutes. Add the turmeric, ground coriander and chilli powder, stir for 30 seconds, then tip in the tomatoes with ½ teaspoon of salt. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
Return the aubergine to the pan with 4 tablespoons of water and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the spinach a handful at a time, letting each lot wilt before adding the next.
Sprinkle over the garam masala, squeeze in the lemon juice and taste for salt. Serve with rice or chapatis.
Tip: tap a step to tick it off as you cook.
Chef’s notes
- Frying the aubergine before it goes into the sauce stops it turning spongy; a non-stick pan means it needs less oil.
- Serves 4 as a main course with rice, or 6 as a side dish.
How this recipe was developed
The old Cookeryonline page reproduced a published recipe, so we wrote a new one. We built it from Meera Sodha’s potato, aubergine and spinach curry and the way Swasthi Shreekanth builds an onion-tomato masala.
- Aubergine with spinach. Meera Sodha’s saag aloo for The Guardian pairs aubergine and spinach over a base of cumin and black mustard seeds; we leave out the potato so the aubergine leads.
- Fry the aubergine first, spinach last. Our own choice: browning the aubergine on its own keeps it from turning spongy, and adding the spinach at the very end keeps it bright.
- Tempered seeds. Mustard and cumin seeds popped in oil before the onion follow the standard tarka order used by Swasthi’s Recipes.
Sources we compared (ratings as shown on each site on 31 October 2026):
- The Guardian (Meera Sodha): Vegan saag aloo: potato, aubergine and spinach curry
- Swasthi's Recipes (Swasthi Shreekanth): Aloo matar
This is an original Cookeryonline recipe written in our own words. Ingredient choices and techniques are credited above; no source text has been copied.