AUBERGINE AND LENTIL VINDALOO (VE)

I knocked up this hottie in my little kitchen after a few weeks of new-veganism. I should rewrite that, but I'm not going to. I had been working my way through a list of curries, partly for this book, partly for a challenge, as I had a jokey conversation with a few friends on Instagram about doing a year of curry, and partly because there are so many things I enjoy but have never tried to cook myself. And so, vindaloo. I delved into one of my curry bibles, Camellia Panjabis 50 Great Curries of India, and, of course, there on page 102 was a vindaloo recipe. Admittedly with lamb, but I substitute lamb with aubergine in recipes as a rule, and I rolled up my sleeves and started to make notes. The original recipe called for cinnamon, an innocuous store-cupboard staple that I had donated to my Nan a few days before for her roast potatoes, no less. And I always wondered what made them so special!) And cloves, that I bought for Christmas and couldn't find anywhere, the blighters. I last remember crunching on a few in the bathroom to deal with a toothache, but they weren't in there either. Mind you, I no longer have the nefarious toothache, so perhaps in my delirious agony I munched the lot. Anyway, I replaced the cloves with star anise and cumin, and it was delicious. If you don't like aubergine, use mushrooms instead. Red lentils could easily be kidney beans, baked beans, black beans, brown or green lentils, or yellow split peas; whatever you have in the cupboard or like. They are here to add texture and protein; all the other flavour speaks for itself, or rather, shouts and sings and dances.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1 Sprinkle the chopped aubergine with a generous pinch of salt in a bowl, then set aside.

Step 2

2 Thoroughly rinse the lentils and place them in a pan. Cover them with water - no salt or the lentils will take an age to cook - and bring to the boil.

Step 3

I was initially tempted to throw them into the pot to make this a one-pot dinner, but lentils produce so much 'scum' that rises to the top of the pan, I didn't want to mar my beautiful adventure, so doubled my washing up...

Step 4

When the water is boiling, reduce to a simmer for around 12 minutes until soft and swollen. Drain, rinse well to knock off the scum, and set aside.

Step 5

3 Meanwhile, toss the onions into a large pan with a little oil and over medium heat soften the onions for 10 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, peeled, but whole, and the salted aubergine, stirring to stop it from sticking and burning. Cook for 15 minutes, adding more oil if needed.

Step 6

4 Add the cinnamon, cumin, star anise or fennel, and pepper, but only half of your chosen quantity of chilli. It is easy to add to, but rather more difficult to temper down if you misjudge it, so I put half the chilli in to cook, and leave half to garnish. It means guests and dining partners can choose their own heat, too, which is ideal if everyone is a little different. Stir well to combine, then add 200ml water to the pan, and crank up the heat to medium-high. It doesn't look brilliant right now but trust me, it gets better.

Step 7

5 Add the reserved lentils, tomato purée and vinegar or lemon juice and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring slowly and therapeutically every now and then. It should take around 30 minutes to meld into this glossy, orange, spicy goodness, and the liquid should thicken to an unctuous sauce. If it is too watery, bring it back to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook a little more. Stir through the spinach a few minutes before serving. And ta-dah, you're done! It would also be delicious with simple boiled rice to make it go a little further.