Fragrant aubergine and coconut curry

A healthy, celebratory recipe created for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

2 ratings

60 minutes
Serves 4
3.5 of 5 a day

Nutrition: Per serving

Kcal391
Fat6.4g
Salt0.2g
Sugar12g

Recipe by: Freya Cartwright | Fundraiser

This recipe is a true celebration of store cupboard ingredients! One night, I went to make dinner and all I had in the fridge was an aubergine and an onion. I teamed them with canned tomatoes, long-life coconut drink and spices from my cupboard and this simple but delicious recipe was born! I was so pleased with it, I decided to start a Instagram account for my cooking and this was the first recipe I put on there.

Ingredients

2 aubergines, cut into bite-sized chunks
Handful fresh coriander
1 tablespoon oil, such as vegetable or rapeseed oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, finely diced
2 teaspoons garam masala
½ –1 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 x 400ml can plum tomatoes
450ml coconut drink
300g brown rice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Cook the diced aubergine in the microwave for 4–5 minutes – this prevents it from absorbing the oil.
Chop the coriander stems only – set aside the leaves for serving.
Warm the oil in a large saucepan or sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent (softened but not browned). Then add the garlic and coriander stems, and cook for about a minute.
To the same pan, add the aubergine and cook for around 8 minutes, allowing them to brown and softened.
Sprinkle over the dried spices and stir continuously for 2 minutes.
Pour in the canned tomatoes and coconut drink. Stir to combine and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and leave to simmer for 30–40 minutes, until the aubergine skin is soft. You may want to mash the aubergine pieces a little to help thicken the curry.
Meanwhile, cook the rice following the packet instructions.
Season the curry with black pepper to taste.
Drain the rice and serve onto four plates. Spoon over the curry and top with coriander leaves. Enjoy!

For extra protein, you could add lentils or other pulses such as chickpeas at step 6. You may need to use extra coconut drink to prevent the curry from becoming too dry.