Aubergine and Chick Pea Curry

It's possible I was a little excessive at Booths on Saturday but the sight of all that lovely spring produce in the midst of gloomy weather spurred me on somehow. More! More! Some of that, and two of those and ooh that looks good too. So we came home with rather a lot. I did have a plan for it all though it must be said that looked at dispassionately the plan would easily have fed the 5000. Amongst my haul I had a couple of glossy black aubergines, the intention being to make a spiced salad to go with stuffed lamb Sunday night and for lunches in the week.

Come Sunday and the grey skies glowered over us again. So we took ourselves out to a wonderful roast beef lunch at the Wheatsheaf in Borough which meant that dinner was of necessity a lighter repast. Pork pie and potato salad fitted the bill. I still roasted the lamb to have cold but the aubergine remained in the fridge. Decided I would make the salad Monday night to go with sausages, fennel and pea salad and vinaigrette potatoes that I was planning to make. But after work Monday I found I was reluctant to add more work to my evening as well as giving in to a niggling feeling that a spiced aubergine salad would be too brash alongside the pale delicacy of my other dishes.

By Tuesday I fancied a curry and what better than aubergine and chick peas to pander to that desire? Seved hot with rice it gave a little zing to this seemingly endless grey week and cold next day in lunch boxes with the lamb meant finally these two elements met well, just not quite as originally planned.

Aubergine and Chick Pea Curry

3tbspns ghee or oil
2 tspns cumin seeds
2 tspns brown mustard seeds
1 tspn fenugreek seeds
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 tbspns fresh grated ginger
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
3 little red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
10 curry leaves
2 tspns ground coriander
2 tspns ground cumin
2 tspns ground turmeric
1 tspn hot paprika

1 large or 2 small aubergine, diced
2 x 400g tins tomatoes, chopped
2 tbspns tomato paste
400g tin chick peas, thoroughly rinsed
Salt to taste
Generous bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped

Heat the ghee or oil in a large pan till very hot then add the seeds which will pop furiously. When they calm down lower the heat and add the onion. Stir frequently and cook for about ten minutes till the onion is transparent. Add ginger, garlic, curry leaves and chillies and stir, cooking for a few minutes before adding the ground spices and continuing to cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. When everything is well combined and fragrant add the diced aubergine and coat well. Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes then add tomatoes, tomato paste and chick peas. Stir well and season with salt then bring the pan to a simmer. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to a gentle flame. Allow the curry to simmer for 45 minutes then stir through the chopped coriander and serve with hot rice.

A quite splendid meal.