Aubergines are delicious simply grilled, baked or roasted and are often turned into exquisite vegetarian dishes. Here we combine them with sweet potatoes and chickpeas to create a wonderfully spicy coconut-tomato curry that deserves to hold pride of place at any vegetarian table. Cardamom, cumin and toasted coriander seeds give an exceptional flavour  to the roasted aubergine and turn a delicious meal into something extraordinarily good. This curry is much better the next day so make on a Friday night to eat on Saturday or even Sunday – it makes the weekend just so much easier.

Ingredients

• 1 x 300 g aubergine
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 peperoni (bell pepper), chopped
• 250g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 200 g courgettes
• 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 250ml coconut milk

Spice paste

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cardamom seeds, about 10 pods
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 garlic cloves, whole
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1-2 chillies, de-seeded
• 1 tomato, peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• basmati rice, steamed
• fresh coriander sprigs
• Greek yoghurt for serving
• Mango chutney for serving

Method

• Dry-roast the spices in a saucepan, moving the pan around until they become golden and there’s an aroma – do not allow them to blacken, then transfer the seeds to a spice grinde, add the rest of the ingredients and a little water, grind to a smooth paste and set aside.
• Roast the aubergines directly on high heat until charred and softened (gas would be perfect here) or in a pre-heated oven at about 220 C for until golden and the skin is slightly blackened – it shouldn’t take more than half an hour, allow to cool and then peel and discard the skin
• Heat the ghee in a large, heavy-based saucepan, add the onion and cook until softened.
• Add the spice paste and stir for 2 minutes to release the aromas, then add the peperoni, sweet potatoes, zucchini and chickpeas, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk and the aubergine to the pan and bring back to a simmer – then check and correct the seasoning, simmer for 10 minutes and remove from the heat.
• Allow to stand for at least 30 minutes or preferably overnight.
• Serve with rice, coriander sprigs, yoghurt and mango chutney.