Aubergine raita | Daily Mail Online

I’ve been told by friends that I should put this raita into jars and sell it in shops – they think it’s the best thing ever. The recipe was given to me by my friend Animesh’s mum Bharati, and I am so thankful to her for sharing it.

SERVES 4

For the aubergine

1 aubergine, cut into 2.5cm cubes

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp sunflower oil

For the yogurt

300g natural yogurt

50ml water

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

For the tadka topping

1 tsp sunflower oil

1 tsp panch poran (available from thefoodmarket.com)

10 fresh curry leaves (available from buywholefoodsonline.co.uk)

2 green chillies, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. 

• Put the aubergine cubes into a bowl with the salt, pepper and oil and mix well. Then spread the cubes on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, turning them over halfway through cooking. 
• In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, water, salt and sugar. Once the aubergines are done, stir them into the yogurt. 
• To make the tadka, heat the oil in a small pan and add the panch poran. After a few seconds, when it starts to sizzle, add the curry leaves and green chillies then cook just a few seconds more. Pour the tadka over the raita and serve.