Eggplant & sweet potato curry

I made this curry a long, long time ago, but never got around to posting the recipe. I wrote it on a random piece of paper and made the mistake of placing it somewhere where I though was safe, so I don't lose it. Well, of course I lost that piece of paper... but I found it this evening! Yay for small victories :)

Since I am on a bit of a roll here with posting stuff, there is no time like the present to post this one, especially because it is very likely that piece of paper will be lost again pretty soon! Plus, since my recent recipes all included meat, it is certainly time to post a vegan friendly recipe :)

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into medium sized pieces
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into medium sized pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped
• 2 cm fresh ginger, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 dates, pulsed to a paste in a food processor
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Chili flakes, to taste (how much heat can you handle?)
• 1.5 tsp turmeric
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp paprika 

1. Sprinkle the eggplant pieces with a bit of salt and set aside in a drainer for ~10 minutes. 
2. Peel and cut the sweet potato.
3. Heat 1/2 tsp of coconut oil in a big pan and cook the eggplant over medium heat. Work in small batches and remove from pan when golden brown to drain on a paper towel.
4. Add the remaining coconut oil to the pan and saute onion until translucent. 
5. Add ginger, garlic, all of the spices and cook for 2-3 minutes to release the flavors. 
6. Add the lemon juice and coconut milk. Stir and bring to the boil, then add the sweet potato.
7. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 
8. Add the eggplant and mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes. 
9. Add the date paste and stir for about a minute so it gets mixed in properly.
10. You can add some spinach/kale/chard leaves at this point if you like, and cook quickly - just until they wilt.