Serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CURRY BASE
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander seed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 fresh coriander stalks, leaves removed
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 200g canned chopped tomatoes (approx ½ a tin)
FOR THE BHUNA
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 1 green chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander stems finely chopped
- 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée plus 50 ml water to dilute
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 1 aubergine chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 3-4 cherry tomatoes, halved
- Spice mix: 2 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder (if unavailable, you can substitute for ¼ tsp cayenne and ¾ tsp paprika), 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp sea salt
FOR THE CHAPTIS
- 200g plain flour (use 100g wholemeal flour and
- 100g plain flour if you have them both)
- A pinch of salt
- 100ml water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
METHOD
FOR THE BHUNA AND CURRY BASE
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
2 Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Quarter onions and separate the internal layers. Combine all of the above ingredients except tomatoes then bring to a gentle simmer for 40 minutes.
3 Add tomatoes and continue to simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before blending to a smooth consistency with an immersion or upright blender.
4 Heat up again and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop and the oil to separate out. Stir one last time to reincorporate oil.
5 While the curry base is simmering, add squash and aubergine to a baking tray. Season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast for approximately 40 minutes or until tender.
6 Heat a frying pan with oil on a medium heat, add and fry the onion for 2 minutes until golden brown. Add ginger, garlic, chilli and coriander stems stirring for a further 2 minutes.
7 Now reduce heat and add the spice mix, stirring constantly for 30 seconds making sure not to burn the spices.
8 Increase heat to medium high and add the diluted tomato pureé and mix well with other ingredients. Now add the curry base 1/3 at a time stirring in for 2-3 minutes on each occasion.
9 Lower the heat and add the roasted butternut squash and aubergine. Cover the curry and allow to simmer for a further 10-15 minutes.
10 Drop in the cherry tomatoes for the final 3 minutes of simmering. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rice and chapatis
CHAPTIS
1 Mix flour, water and salt in a mixing bowl and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Break the dough into small plum sized pieces and sprinkle flour on to your work surface.
2 Roll out the small dough balls into thin roughly circular chapatis.
3 Heat the frying pan on a medium to high heat and cook each of the flat breads one by one. There is no need to use olive oil in the pan when cooking the chapatis.
Recipe by Hill & Vales Spices