Courgette and Aubergine Curry (Zucchini and Eggplant)

Delicious on its own, or as an accompaniment to other curries.

This is a simple but tasty curry, delicately spiced and lovely as a main, or an accompaniment to other curries. You can play around and substitute whatever vegetables you have available ( it’s very versatile – peppers, cauliflower, squash, okra, sliced carrots, green beans are all good – or you could make it with just aubergine, or a mixture of vegetables.

I usually like to serve this as part of a selection of Indian dishes to cater for all palates, but it is excellent as a low calorie vegetarian main dish.

Serves 4-8 depending on whether served as a main dish, or a side dish.

Calories per serving: 120 calories if served between four people as a main, 60 calories if served between eight as a side.

Ingredients

• 2 large courgettes (550g) [99]
• 1 aubergine (300g) [60]
• 1 tbsp ghee/coconut oil/vegetable/sunflower oil (or more if you're not counting calories) [124]
• 1 tsp cumin seeds [8]
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds [9]
• 1 onion, finely sliced [41]
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced [12]
• 2 inches ginger root, grated [7]
• ½ tsp ground turmeric [4]
• 2 long red dried chillies (you could substitute chilli powder or fresh chilli) [5]
• ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
• 400g chopped tomatoes (1 can) [100]
• 1 tsp garam masala [7]
• Large handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped, reserve some to garnish [2]

Method

1. Cut the aubergine into quarters, lengthwise, then into slices about 1 cm thick and cut the courgettes into 1cm slices.

2. Heat the oil over a gentle heat in a large, good quality non-stick pan and add the cumin and mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid and shaking gently until you hear the mustard seeds popping. Remove the lid and add the onions, stirring and cooking for 7 or 8 mintues until softened.

3. Add the garlic, aubergine and courgette (or other vegetables), turn up the heat and cook for a further couple of minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.

4. Stir in the remaining ingredients, apart from the garam masala and chopped coriander and simmer for around 20 minutes or until the aubergine has softened. Stir in the garam masala and most of the chopped coriander and simmer for a further couple of minutes, then serve scattered with the remaining chopped coriander.