Indonesian Spiced Eggplant & Tempeh Curry

I’m just loving eggplant lately. I went all summer without buying any, and now I can’t get enough. I love its deep purple colour, and its ability to absorb flavour in dishes. The phytonutrient that gives eggplant skin its purple colour is an anthocyanin, a group of compounds that give foods like blueberries, cranberries, red cabbage, and eggplants their colour. Anthocyanins are strong antioxidants that can help protect your cells from free radical damage. So to get maximum nutritional benefit, don’t peel that eggplant! The skin will soften with cooking. If you do plan to eat the skin, ideally you should make sure you purchase eggplant that is organic and has not been waxed. The farmers market is a great place to find local, organic, fresh eggplant! The eggplant at my farmers market are so beautiful and shiny that you’d swear they are waxed. I even asked, and nope it’s just that awesome.

    Eggplants are part of the Solanaceae family (nightshades). This family includes tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. If you have joint issues such as arthritis, you may want to stay away from this family of foods as they have high levels of alkaloids that can contribute to inflammation in the joints. You could replace the eggplant in this recipe with zucchini. For the rest of us, enjoy your eggplant! It’s high in fibre, phytonutrients, Vitamin B1, and copper.