Indian-spiced Eggplant Ravioli, take tender delicate homemade pasta and combine it with an Indian and Italian flavored filling, more so, elevating it by sautéeing it in a brown butter curry sauce. The end result, amazing ravioli that you will never forget!
Indian-spiced Eggplant Ravioli, fusion cuisine offers great advantages as it takes flavors of different cultures and create a delicious unity beyond borders!
Song of the day: "Put a little love in your heart" by Annie Lennox and Al Green.
Rich cultures, delicious food
Who would have thought that combining the simplicity of Italian cuisine and the rich spiciness of Indian cooking would have such a lasting positive impression! That is what happened to me when I had an idea to fuse these cultures together creating rich, delectable Indian-spiced Eggplant Ravioli!
Asian eggplant
I don't know if all of you have ever tried Asian eggplant. Some of you may have seen it in the supermarkets, and didn't know what it was, well that is why I am here today, to tell you more about it and more so, one way it can be used!
This type of eggplant is much sweeter than the more common one, also it has fewer seeds. For this recipe, I peeled and cubed it to make the filling. It is going to soften and become velvety, exactly what we want to get that filling to that place we need it to be.
Homemade pasta
I personally think homemade pasta may give some people anxiety and fear. It is not something to stress about. Actually, we show you how easy it is and in just an hour or so you will be running your hands through some tender pasta sheets.
Whether you do it old school on a board and with a pool of flour creating a bowl for the eggs, a real hand affair, or if you have the kitchen technology and use those specialized appliances, making pasta will truly leave you feeling fulfilled!
Helpful ravioli tips
Making pasta is one thing, add in the process of creating a lovely pocket that won't explode or come undone in the boiling water, is another.
- Firstly, don't overstuff the ravioli. This will make it very hard to close and if any of that filling gets into the overlap of pasta it will not be good. Rule of thumb, a teaspoon of filling for an average size ravioli.
- Secondly, pressing those edges of the overlap really well, and either using a stamp tool or a pasta cutter will ensure success!
- Thirdly and lastly, don't overcook the ravioli. Overcooking breaks down the pasta and furthermore, what could happen is it will break and all the filling will become ingredients in a soup!
The filling
For the filling, I sautéed those eggplant cubes with onions, Indian spices, and to get it creamy, I added mascarpone. This tones the spice down and gives the filling a rich creaminess. The end result, a wonderful balance between pasta and filling!
The sauce
I am a huge fan of brown butter sauce. In my mind, the thought of the curry, eggplant, and cream, would pair so well with a butter sauce that had just a hint of the garam masala, which just happens to be a finishing spice. It would really add a profound level of flavor to an already magnificent ravioli! Also added were some broken up walnuts, a delightful way to bring in some surprising texture to this Indian-spiced Eggplant Ravioli.
Reflection
Other than my ancestral culture which is Italian, there are a few cultures that hold a special place in my soul. Of these cultures, one being East Indian. I always said that if I ever had a past life, East Indian would have been one. There is a closeness I feel whether it is being at a temple, or at an Indian restaurant, or cooking at home in Indian style, it truly brings joy to my foodie heart!. I respect tradition and the importance of authenticity when it comes to cultural and regional cooking, but once in a while, I like to leave the box and improv and play with it a bit, and call it fusion!
Success sometimes involves risk
Today I decided to fuse Italy and India in a truly harmonious and delicious way. Some anxiety always comes with creativity, however, there are times that it ends in a home run. This Indian-spiced Eggplant Ravioli was just that. The eggplant all soft, plump, and sweet, beautifully caressed by the Indian spices, caramelized onions, and mascarpone cream create luxury. Furthermore, the way it is held in the most tender and delicate way by the pasta is truly exquisite and the sauce accompanied by this wonderful pouch, takes you on a flavor joyride.
I love this dish and hope that you fall in love with it too. Food brings us all together and why not at a table of food that represents the uniqueness in all of us!
Enjoy!
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Indian-spiced Eggplant Ravioli
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
Description
Indian-spiced Eggplant Ravioli, take tender delicate homemade pasta and combine it with an Indian and Italian flavored filling, more so, elevating it by sautéing it in a brown butter curry sauce. The end result, a ravioli that you will never forget!
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 2 Asian eggplants peeled and diced
- 1 Tbsp peanut oil
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp Ghee
- 1 small white onion minced
- ½ cup crushed stewed San Marzano tomatoes
- A green onion stalk chopped
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- ½ Tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp each garam masala, cumin, turmeric, yellow curry, paprika,
- 1 Tbsp fried onion flakes
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste
- ⅛ cup grated Parmigiano
- 1 small container of mascarpone cheese
For the Ravioli dough:
- 2 large eggs
- 200 g farina 00 (or all-purpose flour)
- pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp evo oil
- a few drops of water if necessary
For the Sauce:
- 2 tsp salted butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 sage leaves
- 1 clove of garlic whole
- 1 tsp garam masala
- a dash of yellow curry
- a handful of crushed walnuts
Instructions
The dough:
- Place the flour on a clean wooden board, forming a mound. Create a hole in the middle similar to a bowl in shape.
- Crack the eggs into the middle, add the salt and olive oil.
- Slowly with a fork beat the eggs, then slowly bring the flour into the eggs with the fork continually making sure to keep the wet ingredients in that bowl you created.
- Once you have brought all the flour in and the dough starts to come together, start working it with your hands.
- Knead dough folding dough over onto itself and turning and repeating using some good force to get that dough nice and soft.
- The texture should be soft and velvety to the touch, and elastic, now shape it into a ball. Cover with a bowl or wrap it in plastic and let sit for 30 minutes.
For the Filling:
- In a large saute pan heat up oils and ghee. Toss in the garlic and minced onion and sauté till onions soften.
- Add in your eggplant and sauté for 10 minutes on medium to high heat.
- Sprinkle in all the spices, ginger, seasonings, and brown sugar to the eggplant and stir until it makes a sort of paste.
- Pour in the crushed San Marzano tomatoes.
- Let stew for about 20 minutes. Add mascarpone and grated Parmigiano and stir until well mixed and creamy.
- Take off heat and let stand.
Making ravioli:
- Take the dough out of the fridge and cut it into 4 pieces.
- Lightly flatten the piece of dough with your hands, pressing it down on the floured work surface. Then, turning the handle of the pasta machine, start rolling it from the lowest number on the dial (1), folding the dough onto itself a couple of times, and passing through the first dial each time, in order to create a rectangle. Gradually, go up one number, and pass the dough through twice. Repeat until you have a rather thin pasta sheet (5 or 6 on the dial). Since ravioli are made with two overlapping pasta sheets, it is better to have a thin dough.
- When the pasta sheet is at the desired thickness, cut it in half using a knife. Place a teaspoon of Indian spiced filling on one half of the dough, leaving a space of about 2 fingers in between.
- Cover with the other half sheet and with your fingers press the dough around the filling to remove as much air as possible. It is important to make the ravioli one sheet at a time, as soon as they are rolled out so they do not dry out.
- Using a corrugated wheel (or a ravioli cutter), cut in between the filling and along the top and bottom to create the ravioli. Reuse the scraps to make more pasta sheets or cut them up to make maltagliati and use them in soups.
- As soon as you have the finished ravioli, it is important to lay them on a well-floured surface so they won't stick at the bottom and tear apart. Cover with a dry clean towel.
Finishing touches
- In a pot bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add ravioli and cook till all ravioli come to the surface, about 5 minutes.
- While ravioli is cooking, heat oil and butter in a sauté pan, add sage, garlic, spices, and walnuts. Sauté till butter turns a golden brown.
- Strain ravioli and toss it into the pan. Mix gently, coating ravioli well, plate, and serve with additional Parmigiano on top.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Pasta, Vegetarian
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Fusion
Keywords: ravioli, Asian eggplant, garam masala, yellow curry, cumin, homemade pasta, brown butter sauce, fusion cuisine,
Wow, these might be the most tempting ravioli ever! I adore brown butter and eggplants, so I almost want to dive into those ravioli. Thanks for sharing! Will be trying this very soon.
★★★★★
Thank you Paula, it was my pleasure sharing my creativity and love of culture. You can go ahead and dive right in! lol.
Cheers!
Ravioli is one of my favorites and this recipe has amazing flavors! I never had brown butter and ravioli together before and wow, it's amazing!
★★★★★
Thank you Dana, yes the brown butter sauce is such a wonderful thing. Also great with gnocchi!
Thanks for checking it out!
Such a unique and delicious twist on ravioli. And it was so easy! Loved this so much.. will be making it again!
★★★★★
Wow so happy you tried it and loved it. Ravioli is a favorite since childhood. Making it in fusion cultural style has definitely upped the game!
Cheers!
Wow adding eggplant into raviolis sounds like such a delicious idea! I need to try your recipe, I know this would be a hit!
★★★★★
Hi Kathryn, yes the eggplant becomes so soft and creamy after sautéing it and combining it with all those lovely flavors. The pasta just highlights the combinations and the sauce the encore performance of a totally wonderful dish!
Happy cooking!
I also cubed my eggplant which made them cook much faster! The spices worked so well in this ravioli dish! Certainly making this flavorful dish again!
Thank you Kate for trying this recipe, and so happy you enjoyed it. Such a wonderful combination of flavors, textures, and culture!
Cheers!
You are so creative! I would never have thought of combining these two cuisines together. I'm going to have to look for that Asian eggplant as it sounds delicious and something new to try. I might even get brave and try to make some homemade pasta. If it doesn't come out, can I come to your house to eat? lol Love all the great tips too!
★★★★★
Most definitely Linda, always welcome, book a virtual class with us one on one, we can cook together! That would be a lot of fun. Check out our cooking classes on our website.
Thanks for the wonderful and joyful comment!
Cheers!
I love this fusion ravioli recipe, so creative and innovative. The flavours must be incredible! Definitely on my to make list!
★★★★★
Hi Jacqueline, thank you so much. I am always wanting to fuse culture and food, most of the time it turns out wonderfully but take some balancing of spices, flavors and textures! This one turned out beautifully and has become a well requested meal in our house and family!
Happy cooking!
This dish looks incredibly good. I wish it was on my plate! I haven't tried cooking eggplant this way.
★★★★★
That is what I like about sharing recipes, it inspires us to try different things and broaden out tastes!
Thank you!
Eggplant ravioli? Oh wow, I never tried that one. But now seeing your recipe and how delicious they turned out for you, I want to make them asap. Just saved your recipe and can't wait to make it.
★★★★★
Thanks Natalie, I am sure you are going to love the texture flavor and play of ingredients of this dish. Would love to hear your feedback when you do try them!
Cheers!
Interesting recipe. Never tried cooking eggplant this way. Ravioli looks so delicious. Pinned to try this soon!!
★★★★★
Thank you. It makes us very happy to know you are excited to make this. We loved it and I am sure you will love it too!
Happy cooking!
I love cooking with eggplant and I love ravioli, so this is a perfect match! I need to make this ASAP. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Yes the eggplant and all that gores on in this roll-up is fantastic. Perfectly balanced and so flavorful!
Have fun making it!
Cheers!