Sesame Aubergines With Keralan Spinach & Sweetcorn Salad
20m prep 30m cook 45m ready
A flavorful Indian-inspired dish featuring baby aubergines cooked in a spiced sesame sauce, served with basmati rice and a Keralan-style spinach and sweetcorn salad with creamed coconut.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 350 g baby aubergines
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 large red onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2.5 piece root ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
- 3 tomatoes finely chopped
- sugar
- 1 coriander leaves roughly chopped
- 0.5 lemon
- 250 g basmati rice
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 85 g cashew nuts
- 225 g spinach
- 1 red onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 lemon juice of
- 0.5 red chilli finely chopped
- 140 g tinned sweetcorn drained
- 25 g creamed coconut
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 13 of 24 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 379 mg
- Iron: 7.46 mg
- Magnesium: 178 mg
- Phosphorus: 436 mg
- Potassium: 1462 mg
- Zinc: 3.72 mg
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Grind the ground coriander, sesame seeds, chilli powder, ground cumin, and salt in a spice grinder to a fine powder. Remove the stalks from the baby aubergines and cut a 2.5cm (1in) deep slit into the opposite end. Rub about half of the spice powder into the slits.
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Step 2.
Heat the groundnut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped red onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add the finely chopped ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, and mix well. Stir in the remaining ground spices, sugar, and the prepared aubergines. Mix together, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, allowing the aubergines to cook through.
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Step 3.
While the aubergines simmer, cook the basmati rice in boiling water for 10–12 minutes until soft, or according to package directions. Drain and return to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean tea towel and then the lid, and set aside to let the rice fluff up.
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Step 4.
While the rice cooks, make the salad: Heat the groundnut oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cashew nuts, and stir-fry for 45 seconds. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt, and continue stir-frying for 2–3 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Step 5.
In a mixing bowl, combine the finely chopped red onion, lemon juice, finely chopped red chilli, drained sweetcorn, and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Add the cooked spinach, scraping all the oil and cumin from the wok into the bowl. Mix everything together thoroughly, then transfer to a serving bowl. Grate the creamed coconut over the top, cover, and set aside.
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Step 6.
After the aubergines have cooked for 20 minutes, remove the lid from the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the sauce to thicken. Scatter the chopped coriander over the curry and squeeze the juice from the lemon half over it. Serve the curry with the cooked rice and the salad.
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