This filling and flavour-packed dish is everything a creamy aubergine curry should be. While I love chicken curry with all my heart, I don't miss the meat element at all with this dish. The aubergine is cooked just enough to be fork-tender without losing its meaty texture, and the combination of spices is just right.
Step 1
Start by making a garlic and ginger paste:
Peel the ginger and garlic, then crush or finely chop the garlic into a paste and grate the ginger with the fine side of a cheese grater. (You can also use a mini chopper to speed up the process). Then combine these in a small bowl with a splash of water.
Step 2
Next, finely chop your onion and set aside.
Step 3
Heat the oil in a large pan. Throw in your mustard seeds, keeping the heat on low, and wait for them to fizzle and "pop".
Step 4
Once you start to hear those gentle popping sounds, add your onion.
Keeping the heat on low, fry the oil, seeds and onion until the onions have started to gently brown at the edges. Stir frequently to make sure they don't burn.
Use this time to get your ground spices ready.
Step 5
Once you're happy with your onions, add the ground spices and coat the onions with them. Toast everything for about 30 seconds then add your garlic and ginger paste. You may need to add an additional splash of water here to loosen everything up.
Step 6
Give everything another stir, enjoy the aroma, and add your tinned tomatoes. Cook, again on low, for 5-8 minutes.
Use this time to cube your aubergines, like so:
Step 7
Taste the masala. It should be spicy, and slightly sweet. Once it’s thickened up nicely, add your aubergine and stir until all the aubergine is coated in the sauce.
If your pan is quite full, don’t worry as the aubergine flesh will shrink as it cooks.
Let the aubergine heat up in the sauce for a few minutes, then add 1 cup (250ml) of water, cover, and cook until the aubergine has reached your desired consistency. I like it fork-tender but still with some bite to it. This could take as little as 15 minutes.
The water you add should be enough to cover most of the aubergine. This could mean adding a little more than a cup. If you're unsure if you've added enough, don't worry as you can always add more. Keep an eye on the curry as it cooks and use your instinct. As long as you don't submerge the aubergine, it'll be fine.
Use this time to finely chop your coriander, stems and all.
Step 8
Turn off the heat and stir in 1/3 of a cup (80ml) of double cream along with your garam masala and coriander. Taste the sauce. If you feel it's too spicy or you simply want a creamier consistency, add in another 80ml of cream.
Serve with naan (cheesy naan if you're in Glasgow!) and some basmati rice, and enjoy!
