Ingredients

3 (or two large ones)

aubergines

1 small

red onion

2 cloves

garlic

1 tsp

Steenbergs Organic Lebanese 7 spice

1 tsp

Steenbergs Organic Harissa with rose

1 tsp

Steenbergs sumac

Juice of half

a lemon

Handful

coriander

2 tbsp.

rapeseed oil

Half a

cucumber

3 tbsp.

natural yoghurt (or dairy free coconut yoghurt)

Handful of

fresh mint

Half a

red grapefruit

1 tbsp.

pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp.

honey

280g

white basmati rice

Aubergines are often undervalued but try this tasty recipe for sticky roasted aubergines, created for us by Great British Grub.

Method

Start by making the paste for the aubergines. In a food processor place half the red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp Lebanese 7 spice mix, 1 tsp sumac, 1 tsp harissa with rose, juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil and a handful of fresh coriander (including the stalks). Season with plenty of salt and pepper then blitz the mixture until it’s relatively smooth.
Cut the aubergines in half, length ways, then score them with a knife 1 cm deep in a criss-cross pattern. This will give nice little slots for the paste to go into. Place them skin side down on an ovenproof roasting tin and spread the paste on top of the aubergines making sure plenty of it goes into the slits. Roast them in a 180 degree oven for 20 minutes before covering with tin foil and putting back in the oven for a further 20 minutes.
Whilst the aubergines are cooking, it’s time to make the cucumber yoghurt. Grate half a cucumber in the larger side of the cheese grater and pop into a fine sieve. Squeeze the water out of the cucumber using your hands to push it against the sieve. Add to a little bowl with 3 tbsp. of natural yoghurt and plenty of salt and pepper. Finely chop a handful of fresh mint and add to the yoghurt.
Next, boil the rice for 10 minutes until it is just cooked. Rinse in hot water to get rid of any excess starch, this should make it nice and light and fluffy. At this stage you can also thinly slice the other half of the red onion and chop the grapefruit up into chunky segments for the topping.
After a total or 40 minutes in the oven the aubergines should be nearly done. Take them out the oven and check that they feel very soft and squishy to touch. If so, drizzle each with a little honey and pop back in the oven for 5 minutes without the tin foil.
After 5 minutes they should be bubbling and sticky. Take out the oven and serve with rice, the cucumber yoghurt, finely sliced red onion, pumpkin seeds and grapefruit.