It’s all about variation….
I wasn’t really planning to blog this dish but thought why not! I’m in the process of having a good go at using up the contents of my pantry and fridge, and thought it would be a good opportunity to show you how easy it is to vary a dish. A slight change in ingredients or method of cooking can easily change a dish and add variation to your culinary repertoire.
So after my pizza making on Sunday I was left with 1/3 jar of passata and needed to find a use for it. Here is a variation of my earlier recipe of ‘Tuver, Aubergine and Methi’. Substituting the fresh tomato with the passata creates a dish where the vegetables are cooked in a sauce.
Ingredients
Serves 4 people if served with another dish
For the vagar:
- 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp sunflower/canola oil
- 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp hing
- 1 medium size aubergine (eggplant) chopped into 3cm sized pieces
- 1 frozen bag of tuver (about 300g) – you could substitute with frozen peas
- 1/3 jar of passata – topped up to a half a jar with with water
- 2 blocks of frozen fenugreek leaves – taken out the freezer 30mins before cooking
- 1 potato peeled and cut into cubes of 2cm
- 1 heaped tsp of fresh masala
- 3 tsp of ground coriander and cumin
- 1/4 tsp of turmeric
- 1-2 tsp of salt
Method
- Prepare the aubergine and potato – soak the aubergine and potato in water once chopped or it will go black (strain when ready to use)
- If you haven’t had a chance to take the fenugreek out the freezer defrost it in the microwave
- In a largish non-stick saucepan heat the oil for the vagar
- Once the oil is hot add the hing and mustard seeds
- Remove the saucepan from the heat once the mustard seeds have popped
- Now add the aubergine, tuver, potato and fenugreek leaves – mix through
- Return the saucepan to the heat, add all the spices and mix through
- Cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes
- Now add the passata and water, mix through, cover with the lid and cook on a low-medium heat for around 25 – 30 minutes
- During the cooking time gently stir to prevent sticking – add water if the dish starts to get too dry
- Cooking times will vary so check the aubergine, tuver, and potato to make sure it is cooked – adjust cooking time accordingly
Serve this dish along side a dahl with roti, naan or rice.
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