This recipe comes from Madhur Jaffrey. It was given to her by the master chef of the Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur. It is just what I was looking for – an Indian version of ratatouille. Brilliant with lamb, it can also stand alone as a vegetarian dish or be served cold as a salad. Madhur Jaffrey uses kalonji (black onion seeds) in place of cumin which she suggests as an alternative. As the aubergines are deep fried, it is important to drain them thoroughly. Any excess oil can be skimmed off before serving. .

2 aubergines,cut into 2 cm thick half moon slices
2.5 cm section of fresh ginger, peeled
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
50ml water
vegetable oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
350g tomatoes (preferably plum tomatoes), skinned and chopped
½ tsp turmeric
1½ tsp ground coriander
½-1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
Small bunch coriander, coarsely chopped

Start by putting the tomatoes in a large sauce pan, covering them with water and heating until the water boils. Then plunge the tomatoes into cold water and, when cool enough tot handle, peel and chop them. Put to one side.

Using an electric blender, make a smooth paste with the ginger, garlic and water. Put to one side.

In a saucepan or deep-fat fryer, pour about 5 cm depth of vegetable oil and set over a medium-high heat. In batches fry the aubergines, topping up with more oil if necessary, until they turn a reddish brown colour. Drain well on kitchen paper.

Pour two tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan and, when hot, add the fennel and cumin seeds. Leave for only for a few seconds before adding the chopped tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, and all the other spices. Put on a lid and leave to cook gently for 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick and paste-like. Feel with the back of a wooden spatula for any hard bits of tomato core. These can be removed.

Add the aubergine slices and leave to cook gently,with the lid on, for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with the coriander sprinkled over.