Moroccan Aubergine Tagine with cous cous

Aubergine, as known as eggplant, is one of my favourite fruit for cooking (Yes, it really is a fruit NOT a vegetable! Oxford Dictionary will tell you so). There are a number of varieties of different size and colour, some are white, yellow and stripy; these are becoming widely available in most supermarket.

It has a rather meaty texture which makes a good substitute to meat and therefore, it is particularly popular in vegan and vegetarian dishes. The fruit is also fantastic in absorbing flavour of the cooking sauce, especially tasty in a delicious tomato sauce or spicy curry and this recipe demonstrates this quality very well.

Serves 4

2 red onions, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 red chilies, deseed and sliced (or 2 dried chilies, left whole)

2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed with mortar and pestle

2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed with mortar and pestle

2 tsp of sugar

3 aubergines, quartered lenghways

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

Bunch of fresh mint (leaves only), roughly chopped

Bunch of fresh coriander (leaves only), roughly chopped

Plain cous cous

1. Heat the oil in a tagine, add the garlic and onions and saute until brown.

2. Add the chilies, coriander and cumins seeds and the sugar. When the air is filled with the aroma of the spices, add in the aubergines and stir well.

3. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, bring it to boil and simmer gently for about an hour or until the aubergines are tender.

4. Season to taste with freshly grounded salt and pepper, add in the fresh mint and fresh coriander, cover to simmer for another 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook the cous cous in accordance to the packet instruction. Tip: Fork is the best instrument to fluff up cous cous. Anything else will turn it into a mushy texture.

And there we are!