Super Quick Eggplant and Chicken Masala Meal Prep
I remembered when I was younger, I hated eggplant (or anything slimy really – think ladies finger, zucchini especially when it’s soft) lol but it’s funny how now that I am older, I like them a lot more. I sometimes even have them as a snack – light, refreshing and nutritious.
I was inspired by Kevin Curry of @FitMenCook to try this recipe out so here we are, a little tweak to of course make it spicy and boom – yummy especially with basmati rice. Give it a go!
I made 4 meals with this recipe so I gave one to my housemate. You can have this for your family dinners, I’m pretty certain the kids will love it!
Makes – 4 meals
Time needed – 10 mins (prep), 20 mins (cook)
Macros without the rice: Calories 273 Protein 26.6g Carbs 16.2g Fats 10.5g Sat Fat 7.4g
Here’s what you need:
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large red onion thinly, sliced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
- 2 cili padi *optional
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 can (400g) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (330ml) light coconut milk
- 500g chicken breast, cubed
- 3 very small eggplant/brinjal, cubed
- Chopped coriander for serving
Here’s how you do it:
- In a large skillet, heat half the coconut oil over high heat. Toss in the chicken breast and eggplant and stir-fry for 4 minutes, just to sear them. It’s okay if it’s not fully cooked at this point. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Using the same skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low, add in the remaining oil and then toss in the red onion, garlic, ginger and cili padi. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and starting to brown.
- Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and tomato paste. Stir it up together until it becomes paste like – about 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and stir well, mashing them up as you go along. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes or until the tomatoes are starting to break down and dry up a little bit.
- Pour in the coconut milk, stir it in until well mixed and then add in the chicken and eggplant. Toss in salt and pepper to taste, mix well, and then reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer the eggplant and chicken masala for about 10 minutes or until reduced slightly. Remove from heat.
- Serve hot, with a side of basmati rice if you like, or build your meals for meal prep. Garnish with coriander before serving!
