Aubergine curry

The key to this recipe is for the onion and tomato sauce to be very smooth, and this technique can be used as the base for lots of curries.




Ingredients
sunflower oil
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 kg of tomatoes
1 kg of aubergine
2 teaspoons of minced red chilli
1 tablespoon of medium curry powder
½ teaspoon of salt

1 bunch of fresh coriander

Method

1. Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic, and whizz thoroughly in a food processor so that they are very finely chopped. Slice off the tops and bottoms of the tomatoes, and discard. Chop the tomatoes roughly and whizz thoroughly in a food processor. Top and tail the aubergines, then cut into large chunks. Deep fry in batches until golden brown, and leave to drain in a colander.
2. In a large saucepan with plenty of oil, fry the onion and garlic gently until the onion is cooked (but not browned). Because the onion is so finely chopped, you need to be careful it doesn't burn. Use a low to medium heat, plenty of oil, stir frequently and add a little water if it starts to stick. Once the onions are cooked, add the curry powder and fry for 30 seconds or so to release the flavours, then add the tomatoes, chilli and salt, bring to the boil and simmer for about half an hour until you the sauce is juicy and thick.
3. Wash and finely chop the coriander (stems and all). Add the cooked aubergines, stir gently so that they are well-coated in the tomato sauce, but being careful not to break them up, then add the coriander and cook at a low heat for another 10 minutes or so.