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Aubergine and Split Pea Dhansak

Dhansak is a traditional Indian dish combining elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine and normally uses some kind of meat, most commonly, goat. Howe...ver, this recipe uses aubergine as a substitute to add texture, flavour and also up the fibre content.

Homemade curries can be really simple and are a great way of packing in lots of different nutrients and creating a well-balanced meal. The sauce is a base of split peas and tomatoes, providing protein, carbohydrate, fibre and a couple more portions of veg.

By serving the lentil-based curry with a type of grain such as brown rice, you are getting two different sources of plant based protein in order to provide all the essential amino acids. Read more Dhansak is a traditional Indian dish combining elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine and normally uses some kind of meat, most commonly, goat. However, this recipe uses aubergine as a substitute to add texture, flavour and also up the fibre content.

Homemade curries can be really simple and are a great way of packing in lots of different nutrients and creating a well-balanced meal. The sauce is a base of split peas and tomatoes, providing protein, carbohydrate, fibre and a couple more portions of veg.

By serving the lentil-based curry with a type of grain such as brown rice, you are getting two different sources of plant based protein in order to provide all the essential amino acids.

Why is this healthy?

Diet

Pescatarian Vegan Vegetarian

Ingredients

Serves 4

Metric Imperial

split green peas (dried)

Swaps: red lentils (dried)

soaked overnight - if you don't have time to soak you can use unsoaked red lentils

chopped tomatoes (can)

garlic cloves

crushed

grated

water

garam masala

coriander (ground)

baby spinach

coriander

roughly chopped

vegetable stock cube

aubergine

3cm cubed

Share ingredients

Ingredients

Serves 4

Metric Imperial

split green peas (dried)

Swaps: red lentils (dried)

soaked overnight - if you don't have time to soak you can use unsoaked red lentils

chopped tomatoes (can)

garlic cloves

crushed

grated

water

garam masala

coriander (ground)

baby spinach

coriander

roughly chopped

vegetable stock cube

aubergine

3cm cubed

Share ingredients

Method

Gather and prepare your ingredients.

Place the split peas into a saucepan with the chopped tomatoes, water, garlic, ginger, turmeric, stock cube and some salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20-30 minutes until the peas are tender. Stir occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn’t catch on the bottom.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the aubergine, cumin, garam masala, and ground coriander with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook down for around 10 minutes until the aubergine is nice and golden on the outside and soft in the middle.

Once the split peas have cooked and the liquid has significantly reduced to create a thick sauce, pour into the aubergine mixture, along with the baby spinach leaves and stir well. Allow the mixture to cook down for another 5-10 minutes to ensure everything is cooked through and to allow the flavours to combine. Taste for seasoning, adding a little more salt and pepper if necessary.

Finish with lots of roughly chopped fresh coriander and serve with your choice of rice or flatbread.

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