Recipe: Aubergine and chickpea coconut curry

As a lifelong fan of mushrooms, which turn everything they touch into an appetising grey colour, I can say with some certainty that the ugliest dishes are often the tastiest. And this is an ugly bugger, isn't it? No amount of cheery red pepper and fresh green coriander can disguise the sludge-coloured sauce underneath.

BUT IT'S SO TASTY.

When I got my Sparshotts box a few weeks ago, it included an aubergine. I pondered what to do with it, and then spied a tweet from someone talking about an aubergine and chickpea curry (was it you?). I did some hunting for inspiration, and then cobbled this little baby together. No, it's not pretty, thanks to the purpley aubergine skin. But it was one of my favourite dinners this month. And I make darn good dinners, people.

Aubergine and chickpea coconut curry (adapted from here)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 aubergine, chopped chunkily

1 red onion, diced

6 mushrooms

1 tomato, diced

1 red pepper, sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Thumb sized chunk of fresh ginger, diced

1.5 tsp coriander power

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 can/carton chickpeas, drained

1 can coconut milk (low-fat should be fine)

1 tsp salt

200g rice

Serves 4 / 11 Weight Watchers SmartPoints (with full fat coconut milk and no rice), 6 SmartPoints (with low fat coconut milk and no rice)

1. Heat the olive oil in a large wok or pan, then fry the mustard and cumin seeds until they start to pop.
2. Reduce the heat and add the aubergine, red onion, mushrooms, garlic and ginger. Fry for 10 minutes or so until the aubergine starts to soften, stirring often in case of sticking.
3. Combine the coriander powder and turmeric in a small bowl with a splash of water and mix into a slurry. Add to the pan and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add the coconut milk, chilli, tomatoes and red pepper, then season with salt. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the aubergine is soft and tender, and add any more seasoning if needed.
5. Pop your rice on while it's simmering, and then serve with the rice and a healthy helping of fresh coriander.

This freezes and reheats really well, too. Such a yummy, quick dinner. And I just realised it's vegan too, if you like that kind of thing.