Chickpea curry with Aubergine

This is a combination of ingredients I had to get accustomed to over the years; chickpeas, aubergines and curry.

I had to cook for my sister-in-law who is not eating meat - especially when her husband is watching. Since I already did a mild chicken curry, I tried this vegetarian spicy variation.

The curry paste

I do not like convenience food, in general.

But some ingredients you can buy are actually very good and do not require from you the effort of doing everything by yourself. One of these examples is a good curry paste.

The red curry is spicy enough

I use for this recipe a red curry paste which is spicy but not a killer like some green curry mixtures you can buy. I want to feed the people and not kill them. If it is not spicy enough for someone, he or she can add some chillies to their portion.

Oriental aubergines meet their Indian cousin

I like aubergine since they give a kind of meaty flavour to a veggie dish. So, in my opinion, aubergine is a kind of a substitute for meat. While I love the Middle Eastern take on "oriental aubergines" this recipe adds the curry taste to it.

Ingredients

For 6 people

2 aubergine, about 800 gram

2 onions, sliced

3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

4 tablespoons of red curry paste

2 cans of cooked chickpeas, drained (ca. 500 g)

500 ml of coconut milk

500 ml of chicken broth

Vegetable oil

Chopped fresh coriander

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Wash aubergine and cut it into small cubes, leave the skin on for extra taste.

Place the aubergine into a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Let the salted eggplant sit in the colander for 30-45 minutes until beads of liquid rise to the surface.

Place the aubergine cubes on a baking tray (use a baking paper), sprinkle it lighly with oil and roast the aubergine for 25 minutes in the oven at 180°.

While aubergine is roasting, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Sauté the onion slices for a couple of minutes. Cook until the onion is translucent, then add the curry paste.

Fry for a minute, then add the coconut milk. Let it cook for a minute, then add the chicken broth.

Add the chickpeas and the roasted aubergines.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

If the curry is to hot, add some sweet cream or more coconut milk. If you like it more spicy, add more curry paste.