Roasted aubergine with curried yoghurt - Ottolenghi

Discovered this recipe from book Simple - Ottolenghi and was love at first bite. Is simple, easy to prepare, full of flavour and fresh!

Ingredients :

• 3 large aubergines
• 100ml groundnut oil
• 200g Greek-style yoghurt
• 2 tsp curry powder
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 lime: finely grate the zest to get 1 tsp, then juice to get 2 tsp
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (150g)
• 30g flaked almonds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• ½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• 40g pomegranate seeds
• salt and black pepper

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to peel away strips of aubergine skin from top to bottom, leaving the aubergines with alternating strips of black skin and white flesh, like a zebra. Cut into round slices (2cm thick), and place in a large bowl. Mix well with 70ml of oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper, and spread out on a large parchment-lined baking tray. Roast for 40–45 minutes, until dark golden-brown, then set aside to cool.

3. Mix the yoghurt with 1 teaspoon of curry powder, the turmeric, lime juice, a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper. Keep in the fridge, until required.

4. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan and place on a medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and dark golden-brown. Add the remaining teaspoon of curry powder, the almonds and a pinch of salt, and continue to fry for 2 minutes, until the almonds have lightly browned.

5.When you are ready to serve, arrange the yoghurt sauce on a large platter, add the aubergine slices and top with the fried onion mix. Sprinkle over the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, pomegranate seeds and lime zest, and serve.