Baked Aubergine Dal

Preheat your oven to 180C fan (approximately 350F).

Prepare the ingredients: Peel and dice the onion (1). Peel and mince the cloves (2 garlic) and ginger (1 cm). Rinse the red lentils (250 g) until the water runs clear and drain. Slice the aubergines (2 small) lengthways and place in a bowl with the olive oil (2 tbsp), [salt to taste] and [black pepper to taste], tossing to coat evenly.

Make the tarka: Warm an ovenproof pan over a low heat with the olive oil (3 tbsp). Add the leaves (12 curry), mustard seeds (1 tsp), nigella seeds (1 tsp) and cumin seeds (1 tsp), frying for around 30 seconds until the curry leaves are crispy. Transfer to a bowl and stir through a [pinch of turmeric] and a [pinch of chilli flakes]. Set aside for later.

Cook the dal: Return the pan to the heat with the remaining olive oil (2 tbsp). Add the diced onion (1) with a [pinch of salt] and cook until softened. Add the minced cloves (2 garlic), ginger (1 cm), ground cumin (1 tsp), ground coriander (1 tsp) and chilli flakes (0.5 tsp), cooking for 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir through the rinsed red lentils (250 g) and pour in the can coconut milk (400 ml) and vegetable stock (700 ml), seasoning with [salt to taste] and [black pepper to taste]. Bring to a simmer, then cover the dal with the sliced [aubergine] to make a lid. Bake for 40 minutes until the aubergines and lentils are cooked through. Start 40m timer

Finish and serve: Zest and juice the lime (1) into a bowl. Stir through the unsweetened plant-based yogurt (150 g) to combine. Drizzle the yogurt mixture over the baked aubergines and dal, and top with the prepared tarka oil to serve.