Simple Vegetarian Curry with Aubergines

Serves: 5
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes
Difficulty: easy

This has become one of my favourite recipes for two reasons; firstly, instead of having to spend a fortune at your local curry house, you can make this curry in ten minutes with the minimum of ingredients.

I made enough for five with this dish and I’d struggle to spend more than £4 on ingredients. Secondly, using aubergine as a meat substitute should satiate even the more vocal carnivores in your family. They absorb the flavours much more readily than chicken but still retain a meat-like texture. I know that’s not the most appetising description I could’ve thought of, but vegetarian cooking can sometimes be a battle of wills in a mixed household.

A few pointers; I’ve used standard curry powder here but if you want to get fancy you can make your own with a teaspoon of fenugreek, turmeric, cumin and mustard seed.

here's what you'll need...

3 ripe tomatoes roughly chopped
One large aubergine
One cup of rice
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
A handful of raisins
Three tablespoons of curry powder
500 ml stock (of your choice)
Three small red onions (sliced)
Coriander or Basil (to dress)

tip

If you like a stronger flavour add some more chillies and tomato paste.

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here's how it's done...

1

Firstly cook your rice. We have a rice cooker that does all the hard work for us and I can’t recommend getting one enough. If you’re old school, rinse the rice in warm water and drain. Then fill a pan with warm water until it just about covers the rice and cover to cook on a low heat. Make sure it doesn’t over-bubble and make a mess everywhere.

I started by frying off the tomatoes until they became soft and the skin started to fall off the flesh. Add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown.
2

Add the stock, aubergines and curry powder.
3

Cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes until the aubergines absorb the colour and the stock begins to reduce. Cook for another few minutes before adding the raisins.
4

Dress with either coriander or basil and serve!