accidentally vegan cauliflower and eggplant curry

Crikey how did it get to be 16th February already? I feel like the summer holiday was long ago and I’m fully immersed back in work life – luckily I get to spend weekends hanging out with the people I love (sans the man/boys who I miss every day). Since I was last here I spent two fabulous nights on Waiheke with darling Netsky and Andy and the following weekend travelled north to Whananaki with PD to visit two more of my oldest friends. Consequently much revelry, and a LOT of eating and drinking has been enjoyed. Then on Friday evening, after spending what felt like half my day getting to and from work, stuck in traffic, PD made a delicious wild boar ragu for dinner followed by one too many Japanese whiskies. Consequently yesterday, when I was fossicking in the fridge for inspiration, I felt inclined to make a vege-based meal, which I realised afterwards, was actually vegan (paratha not included). Anyone who knows my recipes well already understands my love of curries, and this one is bloody fabulous – deceptively hearty and with a gorgeous depth of flavour, and as you’ll see from the recipe below, a doddle to throw together. Shortly my gorgeous 24 year old nephew, Rue, will be arriving to learn how to make pork and prawn gyoza by the (so not) master! Better get my act together…

paste:
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
1 small thumb ginger, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 vine tomatoes

veges:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 small eggplants cut into 4cm pieces
1/4 cauliflower, chopped into florets
sea salt and ground pepper

curry sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400ml coconut milk
12 curry leaves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

To serve:
basmati rice and paratha
coriander leaves to garnish

Throw all the paste ingredients in a small food processor and whiz to a paste. Heat the oven to 190˚C fan bake and mix the vege ingredients together in a roasting dish. Roast for 35 minutes, tossing a few times along the way, until golden and delicious, then set aside. For the curry sauce, heat the oil in a large pot and add the paste ingredients. Cook together for 5 minutes over a medium heat, then add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer, breaking the peanut butter up into the sauce with a fork. Simmer for 15 minutes then add the roasted veges and serve with rice, paratha, and a garnish of coriander.

Serves 2 plus someone gets the leftovers for lunch the next day