Curried Aubergine Mash a.k.a. Baingan ka Bhartha

This is one my favourite vegetarian dishes and is perfectly suitable for vegans too. Aubergines are high in fibre and fairly low in carbohydrates. They are said to be good for diabetics as they prevent blood glucose levels from rising, so it's a great one to include in any dietary plan.

STEP 1: 

Roasting

With a sharp knife, make 5 or 6 skin-deep slits along the length of the aubergines. This will prevent them from exploding in the oven and will make it easier to peel.

Fire up the oven (with fan) to 200℃ and place them on the middle shelf for 20-25 minutes or until the skin wrinkles up and the slits you made open up. While they're roasting, turn them a couple of times to ensure all sides are done. When finished, remove them from the oven and peel them.

Once peeled dice them up into tiny pieces while still hot, making sure you do not lose any of the juices. 

Leave aside for STEP 3.

STEP 2: 

The Base Sauce 

While the aubergines are a-roasting, you can prepare the sauce. I call this 'The Gloop'

Chop up one large onion, about 4-5 tomatoes, a few green chillies, 4-5 cloves of garlic, and a golf ball sized chunk of ginger. Brown up the onions in a non-stick wok using about 2-3 table spoons of olive oil. 

Add salt, red chilli powder, ground coriander, a pinch of cumin seeds, a teaspoon of amchoor powder, a couple of bay leaves and the tomatoes, chillies, garlic and ginger and cook until it turns into a red mush.

STEP 3: 

Putting it together

To the mixture in the wok, add the mashed aubergine and cook for a good 5-minutes on medium heat, mashing them several times while they're cooking together.

Garnish with some chopped fresh coriander leaves and serve with chapatis or rotis and fresh yogurt.

You can learn more about aubergines here.