The 5 Zloty Chef: Aubergine in a spicy nutty coconut sauce (bagare baingan)

There's a few reasons I'd been interested in trying this one out. Firstly, it's an authentic Indian dish from the Hyderabad region and you definitely won't see it on a restaurant menu in the UK (or at least, I never have). Secondly, it's vegan without really trying to be. I mean, it's vegan by accident and is so good that you just won't notice that it's vegan. In fact, I shouldn't have really told you. Thirdly, it gave me the excuse to pick up some baby aubergines from an Asian store when I was over in the UK recently. I'd noticed them in India and Thailand and always wanted to check them out.

Here's what the end product looks like: it's a wonderfully rich dish with a nutty spicy flavour laced with coconut and a good amount of heat from the dried red chillies.

As for the aubergines, ok I'll be frank: you could just use regular ones and chop them up into meaty strips. In fact, please do this! Don't worry if you can't get the ones I got.

The first time I made the dish, I used these:

The second time, I thought I'd try these:

Both worked well. If you're going to use this kind, keep them on the stem and make two cuts upwards towards the stem to make a cross. Keep the stem intact:

Salt them for 30 minutes then leave to soak in water while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? Haven't even told you what this costs yet... Or the ingredients...

Cost: 2.90 zl per person (59 pence, 92 cents, 5.5 Norwegian Kroner)
Serves: 4

What you need:

- 10-12 baby aubergines
- 2 tsp cashew nuts
- 2 tsp almonds
- 4 large dried red chillies
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons of grated coconut - about half a coconut - (or desiccated if you can't be bothered grating a fresh coconut)
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 black cardamons
- salt to taste
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- handful of curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp tamarind concentrate in a glass of hot water (prep in advance)

One thing about the ingredients: traditionally, peanuts are used instead of the cashews and almonds, so feel free to experiment there. Like I said, use normal aubergines if you like. Chop up fairly large, though. Grating a coconut is a faff, but is worth it for the fresh flavour.

Let's get on with it!

1. Soak the cashews, almonds and dried red chillies in a little water for around an hour. This makes it easier to grind them to a smooth paste.

2. Prep the aubergines as above.

3. Prep the other ingredients (excluding the onions, garlic and ginger)

4. Start by dry roasting the hard spices first for a minute or two until you can smell the aroma

5. Add the nuts and dry roast for a further 30 seconds.

6. Coconut in and dry roast until the whole mixture feels dry but avoid browning the coconut too much. Take off the heat.

7. Transfer to a coffee grinder and grind to a powder.

8. You might have to do this in batches, but add the cashew/ almond/ chilli mixture along with the soaking water and grind with the coconut spice mix. Add enough water to form a smooth paste. You might need to grind for some time. Be patient - you'll get there!