INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
- 2 heaped tsp of mild curry powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp mild chilli powder (adapt to your preference)
- 2 tsp of mustard seeds
- 5 cardamom pods
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger
- 1.5 tbsp of tomato puree
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large aubergines (roughly 400g)
- 100g red split lentils
- 2 tbsp Alpro soya coconut yoghurt or any full fat yoghurt/creme fresh (if it’s low fat it will split)
- Fresh coriander
- 2 large pieces of stem ginger in syrup
- Salt and pepper to season
To serve:
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Mango chutney
- Coconut yoghurt
METHOD
- Dice the aubergine into quarter, 1.5cm chunks, then fry in a pan until golden, with oil and a pinch of salt
- While frying, measure out all the dry spices and finely grate your ginger and garlic
- Once the aubergine has slightly browned, decant into a bowl and set aside
- In a large wok style frying pan, fry off the dry spices for 1-2 minutes, until they start to release their flavour
- Now add in the garlic, ginger, tomato paste and a tablespoon of oil and sweat for 1 minute
- Return the aubergine to the pan and coat fully in the spices
- Now pour in 1ltr of vegetable stock, followed by the lentils
- Leave to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes, until the lentils and aubergine are soft and the liquid has reduced. If you have a lid, I’d put one on for 20 minutes of the cooking, so it doesn’t reduce too fast – keep an eye on this, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed
- While this cooks, think about what you’d like to serve it with, I have mine with simple couscous and flatbreads
- Now is also a good time to prep your chopped coriander and toast your coconut ahead of serving
- After 30 minutes, add in your chopped stem ginger, as well as a good tbsp of the syrup – more or less depending how sweet you like it and cook through for a further 5 minutes
- Just before serving, add in two tablespoons of yoghurt and swirl through – I like Alpro coconut the best
- Once ready, serve in bowls with your couscous and top with the toasted coconut, mango chutney, fresh coriander and an extra spoonful of coconut yoghurt.
