Here is my slightly altered recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, or 2 small ones, finely chopped
• Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 heaped teaspoon medium curry powder
• 12g fresh ginger, grated
• 1 green chilli, finely sliced
• salt & pepper
• 1 x 420g tin chickpeas, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 400ml tin of coconut milk
• 125g mushrooms, halved (or cut into tiny little bits for Husbands who don’t like them much)
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 stick of lemon grass (bruised)
• Large bag of spinach

• Basmati rice to serve
• Naans, optional – see recipe below

Method

1. Heat oil in large pan (I used a deep frying pan) and fry onion and garlic until soft
2. Add curry powder, fresh ginger, chilli, salt and pepper & stir
3. Add chickpeas, coconut milk, mushrooms, lime juice and lemon grass
4. Simmer for 30 minutes
5. When rice is ready to be drained, add spinach until wilted – rice can be drying whilst this happens
6. Serve with rice and naan bread

The recipe also calls for Thai fish sauce & soy but to be honest I didn’t think it needed anymore flavour adding (nothing to do with the fact that I forgot to add these!!)

I though it would be fun to make some naan breads too & found a recipe in the same cookbook. If you are going to make these I’d suggest you start these first & leave them to rise for 30 minutes before starting on the curry.

Ingredients (makes 12)

• 450g strong white bread flour
• 1 teaspoon dried yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 60g butter + a little extra for brushing
• 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg
• Nigella seeds

Method

1. Put flour, yest, salt and baking powder in a food processor
2. In a small pan, warm the milk, yoghurt & butter
3. Once butter has melted take pan of heat & add the egg and bicarbonate of soda
4. Add this liquid to the food processor and wizz to a dough – I needed to add extra milk as it as too dry
5. Once a ball of dough has formed leave in a warm place covered with a damp cloth
6. Leave to rise for an hour (mine didn’t look like it has risen much, but don’t despair!)
7. Knock back dough with food processor then divide into halves – I have frozen one half, not sure if this will work!
8. Each half should be divided into six small balls to be shaped into naans
9. Leave these naans to settle for 10 minutes
10. Heat a frying pan – I put mine too high so I’d suggest a low-medium heat
11. Melt remainder of butter & brush into one side of the naans & sprinkle with Nigella seeds
12. Cook in a dry non-stick frying pan for a couple of minutes each side

For mains I cooked something that was on my To Do list – Spicy Chicken with Aubergine and Naans:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 1/2 lime, juice only
• salt and pepper
• 2 chicken breasts, boned, skinned, halved horizontally and flattened slightly
• 1 small aubergine, sliced horizontally into eight
• Natural low fat yoghurt (we used a small pot)
• 1in piece cucumber, diced
• 1/2 tsp mint, chopped
• 4 mini naan breads (or 2 normal sized)
• fresh coriander
• lime wedges to garnish

Method

1. To make the marinade, combine the oil, cumin, ground coriander, ginger, chopped coriander, lime juice, salt and pepper.
2. Pour the marinade over the chicken and chill for 15 minutes (though I left for about an hour)
3. Brush the aubergine with oil, season and grill on both sides until golden.
4. Grill the chicken for about 12 minutes until golden. Slice into pieces.
5. Make the dressing by mixing the yoghurt, cucumber, mint and seasoning.
6. Warm the naan and layer the aubergine, chicken pieces and yoghurt dressing on top.
7. Garnish with coriander and lime wedges (if you remember before you eat!!)

It really was very tasty and something we’ll have again.