Aubergine, chickpea and tamarind stew

This is delicious as a main course with rice and cucumber salad or can be teamed with other spicy dishes e.g. sweet potato and spinach curry.

Serves 4. Takes at least 40 minutes. Can be cooked ahead until final step. It is excellent cold as a salad or as a filler for jacket potatoes. I recommend making double quantities while you're at it.

• 1 large aubergine : roasted in medium sized chunks for 20-30 minutes on a lightly oiled tray at 190C
• 4T olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 or 2 large whole green chillies [or red,if you like more heat]
• 1t ground cumin
• 1t turmeric
• 1t brown mustard seeds
• 
  
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 large green [or red] pepper, cut in chunks
• 1 heaped T tamarind paste
• 1T maple/agave syrup
• 
  
• 400g tin chick peas
• 3 or 4 fresh tomatoes, cut into eighths
• handful of fresh mint, chopped

1. Fry onion, garlic and chilli in oil for c10 mins or until soft. ( Cut in thick slices and de-seed the chilli/s if you prefer).

2. Add spices including mustard seeds and cook for a further 5 mins

3. Add tin tomatoes, simmer for 5-10 mins

4. Stir in pepper, tamarind, syrup, aubergine pieces. Simmer until pepper is soft, then leave for as long as you like!

5. 10-15 mins before serving: add tin of chick peas and fresh tomatoes. Once stew is heated through, stir in chopped mint.

6. Serve with rice and optional yogurt or yogurt/cucumber salad