EASY VEGETARIAN CURRY

Serves 6 with rice. Freezes.

You will need:

3 aubergines

A few tablespoons coconut oil or ghee 3 white onions, peeled 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled 2 finger-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled

25g mild curry spice blend

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

500ml veggie stock

1 x 400g tin lentils, drained

½ lime, zest and juice Dash of maple syrup

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Natural yoghurt, slices of fresh chilli and roasted almonds, to serve 1 Fire up your oven to 220°C, 430°F, Gas 7. 2 Chop the aubergines into thick discs, then slice each disc in half. Tumble the sliced aubergine onto two large roasting trays, dot them with some coconut oil or ghee, whichever you are using, and roast them until they are deliciously caramelised around the edges — about 20 minutes. 3 In the meantime, make the curry sauce. I like to pulse the onions, garlic and ginger together in a food processor to save on chopping. Tip this blitzed onion, garlic and ginger mix into a large, deep casserole pot with the remaining coconut oil or ghee, whichever you are using. Gently cook them for 10 minutes over a low heat, until they are softened. Add the curry powder, whack up the heat, and stir continuously for 60 seconds. 4 Now tip in the tinned tomatoes, the veggie stock, the tinned lentils, the lime zest, the lime juice, and a dash of maple syrup. Reduce the curry to a bubbling simmer and allow it to putter away for 10 minutes, half lidded, while the aubergine is roasting. 5 Tip your cooked aubergine into the curry, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper before plating up. 6 I love serving this curry with clouds of natural yoghurt, slices of fresh chilli and roasted almonds. Reheating the next night is simple, and this curry also goes especially well with a fried egg and chopped scallions. Leftovers can be frozen in individual portions, to service your sanity another night.