Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 inch / 2.5 cm cinnamon bark
  • ½ tbsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 3-5 dry chillies (depends on your preference and type of chilli)
  • 2 cloves
  • 3 green cardamon pods
  • 5 black peppercorns
  • ½ cup desiccated coconut
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 large tomato, skinned and diced
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 aubergine, cut into slices and then quarters
  • ¾ cup full fat coconut milk
  • 1 cup / 160 g cooked chickpeas (½ cup dry)
  • 1 level tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • chopped coriander, to serve

Instruction

  • Heat up a dry pan or skillet. Put all the paste spices in and gently dry roast them until fragrant. Remove from heat, set aside.
  • In the same pan, gently roast grated coconut until it turns golden - be sure to stir it often as it burns quickly.
  • In a pestle and mortar* (or a spice grinder if you have one) pound all the curry paste spices until you get a powder. Add in roasted coconut and pound some more. Add ½ cup / 120 ml water to make it into a paste. Set aside.
  • Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and gently fry mustard seeds until they start crackling.
  • Add in finely diced onion and fry until translucent.
  • Add in grated ginger and pressed garlic and fry them off gently stirring the whole time. Fry until raw garlic smell goes away.
  • Add finely chopped tomato, turmeric, bay leaf and fry for a few minutes until the tomato flesh disintegrates.
  • Add in curry paste, fry it gently until the oil starts leaving the sides of the paste.
  • Add in 1 cup / 240 ml water and aubergine pieces. Put the lid on, cook aubergine in the curry broth until it is soft (about 10 mins).
  • Add in coconut milk and cooked chickpeas to warm them through. Season with salt and lime juice. Let the sauce simmer gently so that it thickens a bit.
  • Serve with cooked rice and/or some vegan naan bread.