About Me

Lover of carbs, cake and all things in between. An East London girl on a year's mission to chronicle all her gastronomic highs and lows, and hopefully gain many many pounds in the process.

Sunday 26 June 2011

Aubergine & Lentil Curry

No! Stop! Please come back. I know it's not the most appetising-sounding dish (I will agree it sounds like something you'd be served in a 1970's hippy commune), but please believe me - it's brilliant.

It's brilliant for several reasons:-
1.) It's a great use for aubergines. I'm meh about aubergines. I think it's their texture.  They're just a bit too soft. Anyway, this recipe takes that weird texture and melts it. Yay!
2.) It takes minimal effort. This is one of those accidentally-forget-about-it-on-the-hob recipes that tastes better the less you do to it.
3.) Cheapie McCheaples. Yep, when it's that long dark stretch of immeasurable time known as the week before payday, there's nothing easier on the pocket.

Here's how to do it:-

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup lentils
Spices - feel free to use anything in your cupboard, but we used 1 tsp measures of fenugreek, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, and a pinch of chili flakes
1 aubergine, chopped
1 can tomatoes
1/2 pt vegetable stock

Gently fry your onion, garlic, and carrot in some olive oil or butter until soft. Add the lentils and spices, and stir until everything is coated evenly. Add the tin of tomatoes, stock, and chopped aubergine. Put a lid on the pan and leave to cook on a low heat for an hour, allowing you plenty of time to watch some How I Met Your Mother re-runs on Channel 4. You may want to check the pan during the ad breaks, and top up with a little water if it looks too dry.
After an hour's gentle cooking, your curry is ready to serve. You don't need anything else with this, although you could halve the quantity of lentils and make some rice if you feel like it. That sounds a bit labour-intensive to me, though.


Cuddle up on the sofa and enjoy with a nice glass of red. Not a hemp sandal in sight.

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