Aubergines are one of my favourite ingredients to use in a curry as they soak up all of the flavours like a sponge. I’ve lost count of how many bowls of this curry I’ve eaten in the last few years; when I’m having a busy week I pop into the deli and devour a bowl with brown rice – it’s warming, hearty and always keeps me going for hours. This one also happens to be one of my husband Matt’s favourites too. SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CURRY PASTE
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 lemongrass stalk, bashed and roughly chopped 1 lime leaf
31/2 tablespoons coconut oil
FOR THE CURRY
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into bite-sized chunks 1 large aubergine, cut into bitesize pieces
100g button mushrooms
100g baby corn, cut in half
olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 x 400g tins of coconut milk
1 tablespoon tamari
handful of Thai basil, roughly chopped
salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 240.C. Place all of the paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Place the peppers, aubergine, mushrooms and baby corn in a baking tray with a little olive oil and salt. Roast in the oven for 10–15 minutes, so that they take on
a bit of colour, then remove and leave to one side. Next, place the coconut oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the curry paste and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the coconut milk and tamari and bring to the boil – then lower the heat
and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and blitz using a hand blender, then pass through
a sieve to remove any unwanted bits (if needed). Place back on to a medium heat and add the roasted vegetables, then cook for a final 5 minutes. Try not to overcook this curry – the sauce only needs this short cooking time and there is a chance it could form a layer of oil on top if you cook it for longer and reduce it too much. Once everything is cooked through, sprinkle with a handful of chopped Thai basil.
Recipes from Deliciously Ella The Plant-Based Cookbook by Ella Mills, published by Hodder & Stoughton is €28. Photographs by Nassima Rothacker © Hodder & Stoughton