Paneer-Stuffed Aubergine Rolls With Dal And Yoghurt

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Boil a kettle

Top, tail and slice your aubergine[s] lengthways into roughly 1cm thick slices

Chop any leftover pieces of aubergine roughly

Add the aubergine slices to a baking tray (or two!), then drizzle each with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

Tip: Try to spread the aubergine slices out as much as you can!

Put the tray[s] in the oven for 15 min or until the aubergine slices are tender

Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool (reserve the tray[s]!)

Peel and finely chop your brown onion[s]

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat

Once hot, add the chopped onion, any remaining roughly chopped aubergine and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 min or until beginning to soften

Once softened, add your curry powder and cook for a further 2 min

Dissolve your vegetable stock mix in 600ml [800ml] [1L] boiled water

Rinse your red lentils in a sieve under cold running water

Add the rinsed lentils to the softened onion with the vegetable stock and cook for 15-20 min or until all the stock is absorbed, the lentils are tender and starting to break down – this is your dal

Meanwhile, slice your paneer into thin strips

Once the aubergine slices are cool enough to handle, put a few paneer strips at the narrow end of each slice, then roll up the aubergine so the paneer is encased

Return the aubergine rolls, seam-side down, to the reserved baking tray[s]

Put the tray[s] in the oven for a further 10 min or until the paneer has started to brown – these are your paneer-stuffed aubergine rolls

Chop most of your coriander finely, including the stalks (reserve some leaves for garnish!)

Add the chopped coriander to a pestle & mortar with a small splash of cold water and a pinch of salt, then grind this into a paste and mix it with your natural yoghurt – this is your coriander yoghurt

Tip: Don't have a pestle & mortar? Just chop the coriander finely and mix it with the natural yoghurt!