Aubergine Curry

Perfect, gentle curry but stir in a teaspoonful of curry spice to add a bit of heat

#Aubergine #Main #Curry

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 95 mins

Source: The Sunday Times (Magazine) 3 July 2022 Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Richard Jones

Ingredients:

For the roasted aubergines

5 aubergines (about 700g) 1 tsp sea salt flakes 1 tsp ground turmeric 4 tbsp ghee or coconut oil, melted Juice of 1 lemon

For the sauce 2 tbsp ghee 2 onions, sliced into thin half-moons 2 tsp black mustard seeds ½ tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp ground cumin 2 tbsp ground coriander 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes 5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated 400g tin of full-fat coconut milk

To serve ½ bunch of coriander leaves Chapatis or naan breads Rice of your choice (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 200C (220C non-fan).

2. Remove the woody tops and roughly chop the aubergines into bite-sized chunks, not worrying too much about them all being the same size. Put the pieces on a large flat roasting tray and evenly sprinkle with the salt, turmeric and melted ghee or coconut oil. Squeeze the lemon juice over, then use two large spoons to toss it all together, making sure everything is evenly coated. Roast for 20 min.

3. Meanwhile, get on with the sauce. Melt the ghee in a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat, add the sliced onions and fry for 10-15 min, stirring often, until soft and translucent. Add the mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin and coriander and fry for a further 3 min, stirring all the time. Add the tomatoes, ginger and garlic and leave the sauce to reduce and thicken for about 15 min.

4. Remove the aubergines from the oven and give them a good toss. Return to the oven for a further 10 min, checking on them every now and again to make sure they don’t burn. Once they are all sticky and slightly charred, remove from the oven.

5. Tip the roasted aubergines into the sauce pan and scrape in any bits left on the tray. Pour in the coconut milk, then fill the empty can with water and tip that in too. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for a further 25 min, stirring occasionally.

6. Stir the curry and season it with salt to your liking. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 5 min. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with naan, chapatis and rice, if you like.