Kashmiri Baingan Tikka

 I had a couple of aubergines to use up today and went in search of a recipe, first I had a quick look on the web, I found a website entirely dedicated to the ‘Solanum Melongena’ (Wikipedia) named http://www.aubergines.org/ that has “3116 recipes and counting”. Many of the recipes are questionable, some are quite good, and others are frankly disgusting, although before long I was side tract reading the heated comment wars going on about the MSG content in the ‘Aubergine in Garlic Sauce’ recipe, and in particular the sweeping and ill educated opinions of a pillock named JJ from Hoboken. Inspiration would have to be found elsewhere.

I recalled then looking through the instruction manual of a 1980s blender whilst staying with my adopted Indian mother a few months ago, there were a selection of poorly edited recipes at the back of the book which I copied down into my notepad with the hope of recreating them on my return home. One of them included the Ouef Plant as its focal point, and although I have had to change a few of the ingredients through necessity, the basic format remains integral. (I added the tamarind which may well make it less Kasmiri and more Punjabi).

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

2 large black aubergines

1 large white onion, finely chopped

1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen

1 carrot, chopped

1 bird eye chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 potatoes

2 medium tomatoes

Handful coriander leaves, finely chopped

Handful mint leaves, chopped

4 cloves garlic

2cm ginger, chopped

100g tamarind soaked in 100ml of warm water

Juice of 1 lime

½ tspn cumin powder

½ tspn coriander powder

½ tspn turmeric powder

1 tspn garam masala

Oil/ghee for frying

Salt and pepper

8 spring onions, finely shredded

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Yoghurt for garnishing

1 dry red chilli

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind in enough warm water to cover for 1 hour, squeeze out juices and strain into another bowl through a sieve.

2. While the tamarind is soaking peel and the boil the potatoes, drain and mash them with a little butter.

3. Put the ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, mint leaves, tamarind juice, lime juice and salt in a blender and whizz into a paste, set aside.

4. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and brush with olive oil before grilling them in the oven until they are soft, around 20 minutes should do it. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and add it to the potato, mash it together and save the aubergine skins, keeping them warm.

5. Cut the hard stem section from the tomatoes, cover them with water and boil for 5 minutes over a high heat, remove, strain, and run under cold water before removing their skins.

6. In a pan heat a little oil and add the onions and carrots, fry until browning and add the paste, after a few minutes the oil will separate, add the potato and aubergine pulp and the tomatoes and stir through thoroughly, making sure the tomatoes break up in the mix. Add the peas and stir.

Then sprinkle over the cumin, turmeric, coriander and garam masala powders and mix them in. Cook for a few more minutes, set aside and keep warm.

7. In a small pan pour in a couple of inches of vegetable oil and bring it up to extra hot, drop the shredded spring onion in and deep-fry for a few minutes, drain on kitchen towl.

8. Put the aubergine shell on a plate and add a healthy spoon load of the mix, garnish with a small dollop of yoghurt, a red chilli and a sprinkling of the fried spring onion. Vegetarian stodge.