Sweet and Sour Caramelised Aubergine with Crispy Chickpeas, Rice and Broccoli

This is an adaptation of a Justine Snacks recipe. When I am looking for inspiration, I don’t often look at Ayurvedic specific recipe’s, I usually look at ones from Justine Snacks, Ottolenghi or mostly from my Mum. 

This recipe is so easy and speedy though I had to recreate it my own way with some added extras. I think Justine used tomatoes in her recipe but I subbed this with red pepper paste. But the mixture of textures, the crunchiness of the chickpeas against the sticky caramelised taste of the aubergines with the crispy broccoli and soft rice is the biggest and best taste sensation!

Serves 4

You will need:

  • 400g of chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked

  • 2 large aubergines chopped into 16 long strips

  • Whole head of broccoli

  • 200g of basmati rice

  • ¼ can of coconut milk

  • 2 tbsp of red pepper paste

  • 2 Garlic cloves minced

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • Olive oil

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • Few shavings of jaggery or maple syrup


RICE

  • Wash the rice until the water runs clear, then cover with water with a generous pinch of salt. Place on the hop and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 180 fan for the chickpeas and broccoli. As you cook the other elements, keep checking on the rice, they’ll be ready when they are fluffy and soft.

CHICKPEAS

  • Rub the cooked chickpeas with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a roasting tray and place in the oven.


BROCCOLI

  • Place the broccoli in some water and place on the hob. Bring this to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli is just soft. Drain the broccoli, mix them with olive oil salt and pepper and place on a roasting tray and put them in the oven with the chickpeas. They will be ready when the edges of the broccoli have become crispy.


AUBERGINES

  • Put the garlic, red pepper paste, coconut milk, salt and pepper and lime juice into a blender with a little bit of water and blend to a fine sauce and set aside.

  • Next heat some olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the strips of aubergines, keep turning them so they are cooked evenly on both sides. Cook them for about 10-15 minutes until they are golden and soft. As soon as they are soft, remove them from the pan and set aside. 

  • In the same pan, add the blended sauce and add the jaggery. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce has thickened and caramelised. Now add the aubergines back in, turning them gently to coat them in the sauce. When they are well combined it is ready to place up.

  • Serve with the rice and broccoli on the bottom, then the crispy chickpeas and the sticky aubergines piled on top.

Avi Sehmbi