Spiced vegetables and chickpeas with yoghurt and mint
Curry powder sometimes raises eyebrows among purists but there’s nothing wrong with a shortcut now and then, as long as you layer other flavours into the dish. Seek out a good-quality hot curry powder and you won’t look back.
6 tbsp rapeseed oil or other flavourless oil, plus extra if needed
1 medium aubergine, about 300g
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
300g cauliflower florets, cut small
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 heaped tsp grated fresh ginger
2–3 tbsp good-quality hot curry powder
2 x 400-g cans chopped tomatoes
400-g can chickpeas (not drained)
2 tsp sea salt flakes
To serve:
squeeze of lemon juice
250g Greek yoghurt
large handful of chopped mint
Serves: 4 generously | Takes: 1 hour 20 minutes, includes 20 minutes draining
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Pour the oil into a 30 x 20 x 5-cm roasting tray and place inside the oven to heat.
Meanwhile, chop the aubergine into 2-cm cubes, place in a colander and toss with the ½ teaspoon of salt. Set the colander over a bowl or sink to drain for 20 minutes. Spread the aubergine out on kitchen paper, pat dry and squeeze out any excess moisture.
Carefully place the onions, aubergine and cauliflower into the hot oil in the roasting tray, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 20–25 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally, or until the vegetables are almost tender and a little browned at the edges.
Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder to the tray and mix in well, adding a little more oil to moisten the spices if too dry. Return the tray to the oven for 5 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, the chickpeas with the can water, and the sea salt flakes to the tray and stir. Return to the oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until the sauce is bubbling and slightly reduced, and the vegetables and chickpeas are very tender.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon, a spoonful of yoghurt on top and a generous sprinkling of mint.