Auberginen-Linsen-Curry (aubergine and lentil curry)
A thick, simple curry where red lentils cook down into the sauce itself rather than staying as separate grains, giving the whole pot body without any cream or coconut milk. Aubergine cubes go in partway through so they hold some shape rather than dissolving entirely into the lentils.
Prep20 min
Cook35 min
Servings4
Christoph's aubergine and lentil curry, the lentils cooked down into the sauce itself for body without any cream or coconut milk.
Ingredients
Written for a 3 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Curry
- 150 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 2 garlic cloves rounded
- 15 g fresh ginger, peeled, grated rounded
- 30 ml neutral oil rounded
- 15 g curry powder rounded
- 5 g ground cumin rounded
- 200 g red lentils rounded
- 400 g chopped tomatoes rounded
- 600 ml vegetable broth rounded
- 400 g aubergine, cut into 2 cm chunks rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- 15 g fresh coriander, for the top (optional) rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Sweat the onion, garlic and ginger for 4 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the curry powder and cumin and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the lentils, chopped tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have fully broken down and the sauce has thickened.
- Add the aubergine. Simmer a further 12 minutes, until tender but still holding some shape.
- Season with salt. Scatter with coriander before serving.
Notes
- Add the aubergine partway through, not at the start. Simmered the full time alongside the lentils, it dissolves completely and disappears into the sauce rather than staying as distinct pieces.
- The lentils are meant to break down completely. Unlike a whole-lentil dal, this curry uses red lentils specifically because they cook down into a thick, cohesive sauce rather than staying separate.
- Stir occasionally as the lentils cook, since a thick lentil mixture can catch and stick to the bottom of the pot more easily than a thin liquid.
- It keeps for 4 days in the fridge and freezes well, though the texture thickens further on standing; loosen with a splash of water or broth when reheating.
Ingredient substitutions
- Curry powder varies by blend; a milder or hotter one both work, adjust the quantity to taste.
- Red lentils are specifically chosen for how they break down; other lentil varieties will hold their shape and give a different, chunkier curry.
- A can of chickpeas, drained and added with the aubergine, is a good, heartier addition.
From Christoph Mayer