Main image of Eggplant & Lentil Apricot Curry

Eggplant & Lentil Apricot Curry

40 min

Meal

Freezer-friendly
A refreshing and comforting curry recipe. The cooked apricots impart a pleasantly sweet taste to this dish, the coconut yogurt adds a touch of creamy richness, while the mint and lemon make it deliciously refreshing. It's a dish that works equally well in the winter as it does in the summer!

Servings

Total

40 min

Prep

15 min

Cook

25 min

Free from

Soy symbol

soy

Peanut symbol

peanut

Treenut symbol

tree nut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Gluten symbol

gluten

Ingredients

  • 2
    medium eggplants*
  • 1 tsp (5 mL)
    olive oil
  • 1 tsp (6 g)
    salt
  • 2 tsp (9 g)
    refined coconut oil
  • 1
    medium onion, diced
  • 3
    cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp (6 g)
    ground cumin
  • 2 tsp (4 g)
    ground coriander
  • 1 tsp (3 g)
    ground cinnamon
  • 1
    red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1⅔ cups (400 g)
    canned diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup (198 g)
    cooked brown lentils
  • ¼ cup (32 g)
    dried apricots, diced
  • ½ tsp
    salt
  • ¼ tsp
    ground black pepper

Serve with

  • cooked rice
  • fresh mint leaves
  • lemon slices
  • naan
  • unsweetened coconut yogurt
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Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
  2. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise and cut cross-hatches into the flesh*. Sprinkle each side with ¼ tsp of olive oil and ¼ tsp salt and rub in.
  3. Place the eggplant on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, until the eggplant is easily pierced with a fork.
  4. When fully roasted, remove from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scrape out the cooked middle, discarding the skin.
  5. While the eggplant is roasting, heat the coconut oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until soft, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pot.
  6. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon and sauté until fragrant, about a minute.
  7. Add the bell pepper, tomatoes, lentils, apricots, salt, pepper, and roasted eggplant. Heat through until the bell peppers are soft but still crunchy.
  8. Serve with rice or naan, and we highly recommend serving it with coconut yogurt, mint, and lemon as the flavours really help to elevate the curry. Enjoy!

Notes

  • * Eggplants can occasionally impart a slightly bitter taste to a dish, especially if the eggplants are a bit older. As an optional step, once the eggplants have been scored, you can place them in a saltwater bath with 2 tsp of salt per litre of water. Soak for 10 - 15 minutes (the longer you can soak, the more of the bitterness is drawn out). Then drain, rinse, and pat dry before adding the olive oil and salt to rub in. This step can be skipped to save time and is often not necessary for fresh or smaller eggplants.
  • Variations: add in some diced chili pepper for some heat.

Storage

  • Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to one month.
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Let us know what you think

Nutrition info

We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.

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Discussion & Rating

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Thea - April 4, 2022, 9:08 a.m.

Would it work to add coconut milk to this to make it more saucy/creamy? If so, when would I add it and would you recommend adding any extra spices? Thanks!

PUL Team - April 5, 2022, 5:18 a.m.

Hey Thea, you could certainly add some coconut milk if desired! Perhaps after step seven and before step eight would work nicely. You could then give the curry a taste test and add more spices if needed :)

Reply
Marijn - March 21, 2022, 7:53 p.m.

I loooove this recipe! This evening I made it for the second time and it was delicious. Just be careful: the roasted eggplant is extremely tasteful, so make sure you don't eat it all, before adding it to the curry haha :p I didn't soak the eggplants in a water bath, and I used zucchini instead of red bell peppers, but it was still delicious. Thank you!

PUL Team - March 23, 2022, 3:18 a.m.

Haha love the tip, Marijn! We're so glad the curry was enjoyed with the modifications as well 😊

Reply
A - Feb. 25, 2022, 11:12 a.m.

One of our all-time favourites!

Reply
Rianne Sanders - Feb. 22, 2022, 4:35 p.m.

It was delicious:-) Thank you!

Reply
Nuria - Jan. 20, 2022, 3:19 a.m.

So, I had to make some changes, just because I love to play with my taste buds. Anyway, I used cremini mushrooms, I reduced lentil amount by a lot, and I reduced the amount of canned tomatoes. It came out fantastic! The idea of eggplant with apricots is good. I also used Indian small eggplants, very delicious. I found you through Nisha on YouTube, I saw that you are from Afghanistan. I am actually from Kyrgyzstan 🙂. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!

PUL Team - Jan. 21, 2022, 5:57 a.m.

Mmm sounds incredible, Nuria, and love the connection! Happy cooking ✨

Reply
Marie - Jan. 7, 2022, 10:12 a.m.

One of my top 3 favorite recepies from this delicious site <3

PUL Team - Jan. 7, 2022, 5:06 p.m.

A huge compliment, Marie, thank you!

Reply
Sonia - Nov. 5, 2021, 7:40 p.m.

What would you switch the bell pepper for ? I can't stand the taste. I know it's completly different but what about zucchini ? Going to try this next week! Thanks !

PUL Team - Nov. 6, 2021, 12:16 a.m.

Hi Sonia, you could omit the bell peppers in that case. Zucchini is also a great idea for a substitute, although some others may be a less tangy pepper if you enjoy spice, carrots, or more tomato/onion 😊 The taste will certainly be less sweet with these ones but the curry should still be delicious. Do let us know if you experiment with it!

Reply
Hannah - Oct. 29, 2021, 8:15 p.m.

delicious !! I doubled the apricots & added a tsp of date nectar, thank you for the recipe :)

PUL Team - Oct. 31, 2021, 6:10 p.m.

Mmm sounds lovely, Hannah, thank you for sharing!

Reply
Clara - Oct. 26, 2021, 1:54 p.m.

Lovely recipe ! I am usually not a big fan of lentils but here it works great :) i also love the combination of the vegetables with the apricots. Very interesting !!

PUL Team - Oct. 27, 2021, 2:10 a.m.

Woohoo! So happy the curry was enjoyed, Clara ✨

Reply
Anastasia - Oct. 11, 2021, 12:33 a.m.

Amazing! This is now probably my favourite curry recipe. Thank you!

Reply
Alica - Oct. 6, 2021, 5:25 p.m.

This looks incredible! Is there a way to make this recipe stove-top friendly?
I am sadly lacking an oven, and wonder how I could achieve the creamy roasting eggplants without it. Is there a specific reason to not include the skin? Would peeling them then stir fry them be still alright?

Thanks in advance :)

PUL Team - Oct. 6, 2021, 6:07 p.m.

Hi Alica! All lovely questions 😊 The skin of eggplants tends to be a bit tough and sometimes bitter. The skin is left on initially to make roasting easier. If making it on the stove, I have two suggestions: 1) peel, cube into small bite-sized pieces, add oil to a pan, add the cubes, cover with a lid, and stir periodically - this should achieve a similar creaminess as when cooked in the oven, or 2) peel, cut the eggplant into slices, add oil to a pan, and fry on each side until golden. Repeat with the remaining slices. Once golden, cut into the desired sizes and add to your curry. This version won't be as creamy, but the flavour might be nicer. Do let us know how it goes if you experiment with this one!

Reply
Fiona - Sept. 30, 2021, 7:06 p.m.

Amazing recipe! So many flavours! I just love it! Everybody I made this dish for found it incredible. Thank you for sharing it with us ❤️

PUL Team - Oct. 1, 2021, 6:42 p.m.

Aw this means so much, Fiona! Thank you for the kind words and review 🤗

Reply
Merve - Sept. 28, 2021, 5:18 p.m.

Loved it! No faulty recipe! Thank you for sharing!

Reply
Lena 🇭🇷 - Sept. 17, 2021, 4:40 p.m.

This was aaaamaaaaziiiiiinggggg!!!
It’s gonna be my new go to curry reciepe.
Thank you for sharing it!

Reply
Clare - Sept. 7, 2021, 8:50 p.m.

Thanks to your tip about letting the eggplants soak in salted water first, this dish came out great!

Reply
Mia (Romania 🇷🇴) - Sept. 1, 2021, 2:34 p.m.

Hello, lovely people!

I made this dish today. I wanted something different for my lentils, I had two small eggplants. I was a little bit reluctant about the spices, but it turned out discovering an unique, exotic taste.

I had some problems on cooking the eggplants. I read the other comments, so I take into consideration your tips next time.

I didn't have any fresh mint but the dry one is strong (from the bio countryside 😌) so it completed the flavors.

Again, I'm so glad I've "met" you! Thank you for sharing this with us!! Your recipes boost our cooking habits.

🤗

PUL Team - Sept. 2, 2021, 2:38 a.m.

Hi Mia, thank you for sharing the review! We're so glad to have you in our PUL community 😃 do let us know if you have any questions about the eggplant!

Reply
Oksana - Aug. 22, 2021, 5:35 p.m.

Great recipe, love this dish, cooked many times ! Thank you for sharing ! I aded also dry mango, delicious as well !

Reply
Taiwanese Papaya - Aug. 20, 2021, 6:39 a.m.

Delicious

Reply
Ines - Aug. 1, 2021, 9:09 p.m.

This is such a great recipe! We have enjoyed it many times. Any ideas why the eggplant took longer than the 20 minutes? Maybe not enough oil? Thanks again for your great work! I love the website! :-)

PUL Team - Aug. 4, 2021, 6:24 a.m.

Hi Ines! Thank you for the kind words and question. It means so much ☺️ We used medium-sized eggplants (around 500 grams each) for this one so one idea may be the eggplants used were slightly bigger resulting in more time needed to cook them. Ovens also sometimes vary in their strength and airflow. Increasing the temperature a tad may help speed up the cooking time depending on your oven ☀️ Last thing I'm thinking: we cooked our eggplants with the cut-side facing up in the oven, but placing the eggplants cut-side down can also help it cook more quickly, as it traps and cooks in its own steam. I hope these help for now!

Ines - Aug. 4, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

Thanks for the tips! 😊

Reply
Sophie - July 28, 2021, 6:24 p.m.

Love this dish and cook it all the time!

Reply
Cindy - July 25, 2021, 5:45 a.m.

I wish I could give this recipe a 3.5 rating. It was good but just nothing special for the time that it took to make it. I have no idea who could make this recipe in 25 minutes but I went straight through without stopping and it took one solid hour. I doubled the seasoning which I think helped some but it still seemed to be missing something. I also added in nearly double the amount of diced apricots but still couldn't detect the sweetness. The mint and lemon made a big difference and really kicked up the flavor though! Also, it would help if the written recipe followed the video. The video says to soak the eggplant in salt water but doesn't tell you for how long and the recipe doesn't state anything about soaking or the time. It's minor and I just guessed and it came out fine but it was frustrating not to have that information.

PUL Team - July 27, 2021, 12:57 a.m.

Hey Cindy, this feedback is so incredibly helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share as it helps us improve what we do. Indeed, the timing indicated was not correct, so that's now been updated thanks to your feedback. Thanks for sharing that you preferred the recipe with more spices and apricots - this really helps others who might want to try the recipe! I wonder if the lack of flavour even still could have been because the eggplants that you used were perhaps larger than the ones we used? I found the coconut yogurt is what really helps bring the flavours of the dish together, and would highly recommend it if you ever choose to make this again. And absolutely, I've taken your feedback to heart and will be sure to more closely match the video content to the directions. For now, I've added the soaking bit in the notes section as it's an optional step, and I'm glad it worked out alright for you in any case. Thanks again so much for your time and support, Cindy 🤗

Reply
Nicole Mostofa - July 23, 2021, 3:48 p.m.

This recipe is so easy and so tasty. I love eggplants!

Reply
Kelly - July 22, 2021, 6:32 p.m.

Made this last week with homegrown eggplant (yay, eggplant season!). My mother brought over a zucchini from her garden so I added that to the mix, too. Overall, I think this is great as is, although I ended up adding maybe 1/2 tsp of curry powder since I was just craving some additional curry spices in the mix. Definitely add the yogurt, lemon juice and mint as suggested. It really elevates the flavors. Thanks for a great recipe!

PUL Team - July 23, 2021, 2:42 a.m.

Mmm homemade eggplant sounds delicious, Kelly, thank you for sharing!

Its Me - July 24, 2021, 6:03 p.m.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm Homemade eggplant really nice.

Reply
Laila - July 16, 2021, 3:48 p.m.

I just love this recipe. I’ve made it multiple times. The combination of apricots, eggplant and tomato is so delicious.

Reply
AnneliesVdS - July 13, 2021, 9:14 a.m.

I'm normally not a lentil fan, but I absolutely love this dish. Already made this a couple of times. Can't wait for winter to make this again!

PUL Team - July 18, 2021, 12:10 a.m.

Such a lovely compliment, AnneliesVdS, thank you for sharing! ✨🌻

Reply
Gill S - July 10, 2021, 4:28 p.m.

Have made this a couple of times now and loved it! It’s such a fresh flavour and is perfect for left over lunch as it’s not too heavy. My non vegan father absolutely loved it too.

Reply
Franziska - July 9, 2021, 2:28 p.m.

This is such a good recipe with plenty of somehow luxurious feeling flavours. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a hint of sweetness in savoury dishes.

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Ana - July 9, 2021, 5:06 a.m.

Loved this recipe, also worked well with prunes when we were out of apricots. Nutritious, filling, and flavourful!

Reply
Victoria - July 8, 2021, 8:18 p.m.

The flavor wasn't as vibrant as I wanted it to be. May it's because I used dried lentils and it soaked up too much of the flavor and liquid?

PUL Team - July 13, 2021, 7:10 a.m.

How disappointing to hear, Victoria! Perhaps cooking dried lentils separately before adding them to the dish will help to reduce the lentils from absorbing the other recipe contents 😊

Reply
Sabrina - July 4, 2021, 7:39 a.m.

Absolutely delicious! I halfed the cumin and coriander and it was still very very tasty. I love how the apricots bring sweetness to this dish. And it’s interesting how the eggplant acts as a meat replacement for the consistency. I will share and definitely make again. Thank you.

PUL Team - July 4, 2021, 5:50 p.m.

We're so glad you enjoyed the curry, Sabrina, thank you for taking the time to share the review ✨🙂

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Amelia - June 9, 2021, 4:08 a.m.

Super yummy! I didn't have apricots, so I substituted green raisins and added some coconut milk for extra creaminess.

PUL Team - June 9, 2021, 6:26 a.m.

Super creative substitutes, Amelia! So happy the curry was enjoyed 🤗

Reply
Cris S - June 5, 2021, 4:04 p.m.

This is very delicious, for me for about two days!

PUL Team - June 5, 2021, 9:36 p.m.

We appreciate the review very much, Cris! 🙂

Reply
Alica - May 28, 2021, 5:41 a.m.

Hello, I am currently on a low FODMAP diet right now. This recipe looks yummy, but I see some garlic as well as dried apricots... Is there any low FODMAP adjustments you would advise?

PUL Team - May 30, 2021, 7:46 a.m.

Hi there, Alica! Garlic-infused olive oil would work as a substitute for garlic. Feel free to omit the dried apricot if needed. As usual, if you’re looking for further support related to dietary concerns, we recommend finding a dietitian in your area who can support you. Alternatively, Monash university has plenty of resources when sorting through FODMAPs: monashfodmap.com🤗

Alica - May 31, 2021, 11:21 a.m.

Thank you for the tips! Currently in the elimination phase of the diet and am struggling a lot. As suggested, I am using the Monash app to guide me throughout these 4 weeks. Can't wait to taste the "real" one once this stage is over!

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Fio - May 17, 2021, 2:18 p.m.

I tried this recipe and was a bit underwhelmed in terms of flavour. I found it a bit bland, even after I added more spices and would definitely suggest to do that too. It still tasted fine, just nothing I feel like I have to try again :) (I missed the sweet note from the apricots, maybe should have added more than suggested)

PUL Team - May 20, 2021, 6:40 a.m.

Thank you for sharing your review with us, Fio, how disappointing to hear! Although we recognize you may not want to try the recipe again, one thing that may help is being sure to use fresh spices. Perhaps our Green Spinach Coconut Curry may be a recipe with more success as well!: pickuplimes.com/recipe/green-… 🙂

Reply
Daniela - April 24, 2021, 7:12 p.m.

I've been trying your dishes for some time now, and it all works so well! Thank you for sharing. My Saturday routine has been to check your videos, pick one recipe, shop for the ingredients and try something new and wonderful. It's been great. Lots of love from Brazil!

PUL Team - April 25, 2021, 1:09 a.m.

Aww we're so honoured to be a part of your Saturday routine, Daniela! Sending so much love back to Brazil ✨😍

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Nat - April 17, 2021, 9:30 a.m.

This was so good! I used extra cinnamon as my cinnamon was a little bit old so not as flavoursome. Really good gluten free meal & very filling. Thanks for the recipe :)

PUL Team - April 19, 2021, 2:50 a.m.

A great tip for older cinnamon, Nat! Thank you for sharing :D

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Nadia - April 16, 2021, 4:37 p.m.

this is such a flavorful delicious dish, we love it.

PUL Team - April 19, 2021, 2:05 a.m.

Thank you for taking the time to share your lovely review, Nadia!

Reply
Margaret - March 22, 2021, 9 a.m.

I just made this yesterday and omgoodness! It is sooo flavorful and yummy! I've been resistant to using salt, but I finally decided I should listen to you and boy does salt make all the difference 🙃 Thank you for your all that you do Sadia!! I've been watching your videos for about 4 years (can't believe it's been that long!) and I always get a thrill when I see you've posted a new video. Much love from the US! 🥰

PUL Team - March 31, 2021, 2:40 a.m.

So happy you gave it a try, Margaret! Thank YOU for being part of our PUL family. Sending lots of love back to the US :D

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