Jono & Jules do food & wine

This is delicious and so simple. A perfect summer curry. Serve with yoghurt and naan bread. It’s versatile too as it is lovely on its own with some rice, or as a side, or part of a larger feast.

Wine Suggestion: a light grenache red is our pick, either a simple Spanish bottle such as Bodegas Monfil in Cariñena or something more sophisticated like Domaine Cébène’s ex Arena from Faugeres.

Aubergine & cherry tomato curry – serves 4

• 3 tbsp rapeseed or groundnut oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 4cm ginger, finely grated
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 300g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 1½ ground coriander
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 large aubergine, quartered, then cut into ½ cm thick slices
• coriander leaves, to garnish

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan with a lid.

Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until soft. Add the chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring. Add the cherry tomatoes, then cover with the lid and leave over a low heat for 10 minutes until the tomatoes have softened.

Stir in the salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander, tomato purée and sugar. Mix well, then add 150ml warm water, then the aubergine. Stir to coat the aubergines in the tomatoes, then cover again.

Cook for 15-20 minutes over a medium heat or until the aubergine is tender and soft enough to cut with a wooden spoon.

Season to taste and garnish with coriander leaves.

(Original recipe from Made in India by Meera Sodha, Fig Tree, 2014.)