The smoked aubergine makes a relatively boring & difficult to cook vegetable scrummy! Cooked like this, it is eaten mostly in Northern India. For a summer twist instead of using the oven, wrap the aubergines in foil & leave them on the bbq for about 45 minutes.
Spicy Aubergine Ingredients
3 large aubergines
1 garlic clove chopped fine
A one inch knob of fresh ginger chopped fine
1/2 onion chopped fine
3 tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 tbsp of sunflower oil
1/2 teaspoon of tumeric
2 fresh green chillis split down the middle (seeds & all – depending on how hot you like it!)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garam masala
Seasoning to taste
Fresh coriander leaves
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the aubergines (whole) in a baking tray & roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Then throw in the tomatoes (whole) & roast everything for another 30 minutes. About 10 minutes before the aubergines & tomatoes have finished, place the oil in a pan & heat. Throw in the cumin seeds & let them pop for about 20 seconds. Add the garlic & ginger & let it sweat for about 30 seconds until they go slightly brown. Add the onions & cook them for about 5 minutes until they go golden brown.
While the onions are cooking scrape all the auberinge pulp out of the skin & place in a bowl. Do the same with the tomatoes. Add the tumeric & garam masala to the onions & then add the aubergine & tomato pulp, chillis & lemon juice. Season well & let everything cook together for about 6-7 minutes. Take off the heat, sprinke with fresh corriander leaves & serve.
