Aubergine and Tomato 'Curry'

Aubergine and tomato curry

I suppose that this is only a curry in the loosest sense of the word, in that what is providing the aromatic (rather than the heat) is the curry leaf, which adds a warm curry tone to this dish, and does not hit you over the head with it's flavour. The advantage to this is twofold - you don't have to worry about the time it takes to cook out the spices in the dish, meaning that if you plan ahead, you can cook it in ten minutes, and it goes with a lot of stuff: Add a bit of cumin spice and finish by chopping through some fresh mint at the end for a slightly middle eastern flavour or do away with the curry leaves and coriander all together, add basil and it's fine to go as a side dish for lots of dishes. It is also delicious cold, so, good for lunchboxes too. The only downside is fresh curry leaves. easy for me living near an Indian supermarket. Not so convenient for you if you don't. You can buy them in bigger supermarkets, fresh and frozen online, or dried in many more places. I tend to buy a bunch and stick them in the freezer, which seems alright - they seem to hold onto their flavour and texture quite well. I did think about trying to grow a curry leaf plant but I guess there's a reason you don't get a lot of curry leaf in this country. It's a tropical plant, a special snowflake. About as far from 'stick it in a sheltered spot and let it do it's thing' as sticking a Bollywood superstar in your allotment and asking it to be happy rolling in the mud. Worth a try maybe with a greenhouse, but not for me.
Unless it is the height of summer, you want canned tomatoes for this dish. If you want to use fresh, get 450-500g, and peel and chop
before adding to the dish.

3 medium or two large aubergine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
oil (use spray oil if you want)
10-15 fresh curry leaves, left whole
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1-3 green chilles, fnely chopped and deseeded (as hot as you like, one is enough for me)
1 tsp salt
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped

So, up to about a day before you want to cook the dish, preheat the oven to gas 8/240c and prick your aubergines all over with a sharp knife before putting in the hot oven and cooking for 60-80 mins, depending on the size, turning every 15 minutes. You will probably be able to work out when they're done as they will be soft and deflated. Set aside, and when either cool enough to handle, or just before cooking if you have made them in advance, chop roughly.
Heat your oil in the pan, add the curry leaves and then the chopped garlic. Soften this over a medium heat before adding your tomatoes, and cook these down for two to three minutes. Add the aubergine, chilles and salt, cover and cook for five or so minutes until cooked through. Stir through coriander and serve.