Indian-Style Vegetable Pakora Chaat

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6

Trim the green stalk[s] off your aubergine[s] and discard, then chop into bite-sized pieces

Add the chopped aubergine to one side of a baking paper-lined baking tray (or two!) with a drizzle of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt

Put the tray[s] in the oven for an initial 10 min or until starting to brown

Meanwhile, boil half a kettle

Peel and finely slice your red onion[s]

Top, tail, peel and grate the carrot[s]

Slice your green chilli[es] finely into rounds

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set them aside for later

Add the sliced red onion[s], grated carrot[s] and half the green chilli rounds (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) to a large bowl

Add your gram flour with half your curry powder (save the rest for later!), a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] cold water

Massage the mixture for 30 secs, squeezing the onion and carrot together to form a thick mixture

Tip: Squeezing the mix will release the natural moisture in the carrot and onion!

Once the aubergine has had 10 min, remove the tray[s] from the oven

Scoop out 3 handfuls of the mixture per person, shape into rough bhaji shapes and add to the other side of the tray[s] – these are your vegetable pakoras

Drizzle the pakoras with a little vegetable oil

Return the tray[s] to the oven for 20-25 min further or until the pakora are golden and crispy

Meanwhile, dissolve your tomato paste and vegetable stock mix in 150ml [200ml] [250ml] boiled water – this is your tomato stock

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat, once hot, add the drained chickpeas and remaining curry powder and cook for 2-3 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the tomato stock and cook for 5-6 min further or until thickened – this is your chickpea curry

Whilst the chickpeas are cooking, strip your mint from their stems and discard the stems

Add the mint to a food processor

Tear in your coriander roughly, including the stalks

Add a generous squeeze of lemon, 2 tbsp [3 tbsp] [4 tbsp] olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and blitz until smooth – this is your green chutney

Once done, stir the cooked aubergine through the chickpea curry – this is your aubergine chana masala

Slice the remaining lemon into wedges