Aubergine in a spicy tomato and tamarind sauce (ennai kathirikkai kuzhambu)

This dish is a Tamil Nadu favourite teeming with flavour. The aubergines come together with the tomatoes and tamarind to combine with the melody of spices and chilli to create a crescendo of sensations. And it's cheap! And healthy! And no animals were hurt during the making of this dish...

I like to serve this with spinach vadai ( a kind of Indian falafel) to add a contrasting textural element to the ensemble... and with rice.

Serves: 4
Cost per person: 3 zl (60 UK pence, 0.73 Euros, 1,876 Columbian Pesos)

What you need:

- either 5 finely chopped shallots or 3 finely chopped shallots plus 1 finely chopped red onion
- 2-3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- 1-2 aubergines diced into 1 inch cubes
- 2 medium tomatoes skinned and pureed
- 1 tsp tamarind paste dissolved in a small glass of warm water
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp urad dal
- 1/2 tsp tumeric 
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp fennel powder
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida
- a good bunch of curry leaves
- salt to taste
- rice to serve

Ok. Can't wait. Let's go!

1. Prep the aubergine. Soak in salted water while you get the other stuff ready.

2. Chop up the shallots, onion (if using) and garlic.

3. Puree the tomato

4. Dissolve the tamarind concentrate

5. Prep the whole spices

6. Prep the other spices

7. Oil in a pan. Medium heat. Aubergines in - you'll need a good old slug or two of oil for this. Sautee till browning (around 15 minutes). Remove from the pan.

8. In the same oil (add more if necessary), pop the whole spices for around 30 seconds.

9. Add the onions/ shallots and sweat down for around 7 minutes

10. Garlic in. Sautee for a further 5 minutes

11. Curry leaves in

12. Rest of the spices in

13. Pureed tomatoes in. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

14. Tamarind in

15. Return the aubergines to the pan

16. Simmer for a further 2 minutes and enjoy!

Costing:

- aubergine: 5 zl
- rice: 2.40 zl
- tomatoes: 3 zl
- the rest: 1.60 zl

Total: 12 zl
Serves: 4
Cost per person: 3 zl