Aubergine and Cauliflower Curry

I always order brinjal bhaji at restaurants because I love aubergines, and I have adapted this recipe to make my own version. The trick is to char the aubergine and cauliflower at the beginning, which gives it a smokey flavour. Slightly burn the onions too, but lower the heat when you put the garlic and chillis in, as it’s not good to burn those.

Sometimes the end result is slightly bitter, so sometimes I add a bit of sugar. This can happen for a few reasons – if you burn the onions too much, if you burn the chillis or if your garlic is too old. You need to taste and adjust but if you are unsure, leave out the sugar.

I like my curry spicy so I added fresh green finger chilis, as well as hot chilli powder – you will want to adjust to your own spice level.

I have tried this recipe with aubergines, cauliflower, courgettes and mushrooms – it’s always delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 large aubergine, diced
• ½ cauliflower, cut into thick slices
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ½ tin (200g) chopped tomatoes
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped/grated (or tbsp of garlic paste)
• 2-3 fresh green finger chillis, chopped (leave whole or leave out for a less spicy dish)
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
• Handful coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• ½-1 tsp sugar (only if needed)
• 750 ml water – add more water if needed
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds

Instructions

• Heat a large pan to medium heat, drizzle 1 tbsp of oil. Add aubergine and cauliflower, season with ½ tsp of salt, and saute for 5-8 minutes, turning the pieces, until brown. Then remove from pan and set aside.
• Add another 1-2 tbsp oil in the pan and heat to medium heat.
• Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle and pop, add the chopped onions. Saute the onions until golden brown.
• Add the garlic and fresh chillis, turn the heat down and cook for 5 minutes longer.
• Then add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, and coriander powder and quickly stir for few seconds.
• Next, add the aubergine and cauliflower back into the pan, and pour the water in. Add ½ tsp of salt.
• Bring it to simmer and reduce the heat to low.
• Close the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes – you want the sauce to thicken, so you may need to remove the lid if you want it to thicken up, or replace the lid once it has reached required thickness. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
• About half way through make a taste test and adjust salt to taste. If it tastes bitter add ½ tsp sugar, stir and cook for a few minutes, taste and add another ½ tsp sugar if needed.
• Once the aubergine is cooked, turn off the heat.

Serve

Sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander. Serve with naan or rice.