Aubergine Dhansak
20m prep 35m cook 55m ready
A vegetarian take on the classic Parsi dhansak, featuring aubergine in a spicy, tangy lentil and vegetable base. Hearty and comforting, it pairs well with chapatis or brown rice.
Ingredients
- 100 g dried red lentils
- 3 clove garlic
- 2.5 fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 1 aubergine/eggplant finely chopped
- 1 potato finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée/paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sugar
- 450 ml boiling water
- 2 kale leaves only, torn
- 0.5 lemon juiced
- 2 tsp garam masala
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 14 of 20 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 236 mg
- Iron: 4.57 mg
- Magnesium: 63.3 mg
- Phosphorus: 279 mg
- Potassium: 1008 mg
- Zinc: 2.35 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients - no prep needed yet.
- 100 g dried red lentils
- 3 clove garlic
- 2.5 fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp tomato purée/paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sugar
- 450 ml boiling water
- 2 tsp garam masala
Prepare
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 aubergine/eggplant, finely chopped
- 1 potato, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 kale, leaves only, torn
- Juice 0.5 lemon
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Place the dried red lentils in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for 20 minutes.
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Step 2.
While the lentils soak, blitz the garlic cloves and peeled ginger to a fine paste in a food processor.
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Step 3.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, wide pan with a lid over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the finely chopped red onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the garlic-ginger paste and cook for 1 minute more.
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Step 4.
Add the finely chopped aubergine, finely chopped potato, and salt to the pan. Stir to combine, then add the roughly chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, ground turmeric, and sugar. Stir well, cover with the lid, and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
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Step 5.
Add the soaked lentils along with their soaking liquid and 350ml (scant 1½ cups) of boiling water to the pan. Stir, cover, and simmer for 10–15 minutes, or until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Check the water level occasionally and add a splash more if it looks too dry.
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Step 6.
Stir in the torn kale leaves and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and garam masala. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or sugar as needed. If the dhansak is too thick, add a little more boiling water to reach your desired consistency.
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