Express Vegan Dinner Party by Dr Rupy Aujla
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Easy
"I love one of the recipe tester’s comments on this meal: “It was amazing food that looked like you’d been in the kitchen all day when in reality the prep took no time at all!” That’s exactly how a feast should be. A great selection of food that’s nourishing and authentic, as well as minimal stress so you can enjoy one of the best lifestyle hacks for health: connection. This masala-baked cauliflower centrepiece with aubergines, ginger and turmeric dal with saag, coconut yoghurt is a beautiful collection of complex flavours and, trust me, nobody realises it’s fully plant-based."
Extracted from COOKS by Dr Rupy Aujla (Ebury Press, £22) Photography by David Loftus
Ingredients for Masala-baked Cauliflower
- 3 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large cauliflower (750g), quartered, leaves removed, roughly chopped
Ingredients for Baked Aubergines in Spiced Oil
- 500g baby aubergines, halved lengthways
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1⁄2 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Ingredients for Ginger & Turmeric Dal
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 40g fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or paprika)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 400g red lentils, soaked for 10 minutes then drained
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 x 400ml can coconut milk
- 300ml hot water
- 200g spinach, roughly chopped
Ingredients for Speedy Saag
- 200g spinach, roughly chopped
- 300g kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 300g spring greens, stems
- removed and roughly chopped
- 500ml hot water for the tarka
- 4 tbsp avocado oil or coconut oil
- 12 curry leaves
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
To Serve
- 250g coconut yoghurt
- Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
- Pinch of garam masala
- Cooked brown basmati rice
- Flatbreads
- Mango pickle
How To Make Masala-baked Cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan. Mix the spices and oil in a bowl with plenty of seasoning. Brush onto the cauliflower quarters and leaves, adding a little more oil if needed. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden, turning the cauliflower and ruffling the leaves halfway through.
How To Make Baked Aubergine In Spiced Oil
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan. Mix the aubergines, spices and oil in a roasting tin, coating the aubergine pieces well. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes until golden.
How To Make Ginger & Turmeric Oil
- Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the ginger, spices and plenty of seasoning and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lentils and cook for a further 1 minute. Crumble in the stock cube, pour in the coconut milk and hot water, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the lentils are soft, adding more water if necessary to stop it drying out. Add the spinach for the last 2 minutes of cooking to gently wilt.
How To Make Speedy Saag
- Place the chopped spinach, kale and spring greens in a large pan. Add the hot water and plenty of salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until broken down. Blend with a stick blender; the mixture should be fairly thick (you can add a tablespoon of coconut yoghurt to thicken, if needed).
- Meanwhile, in a small pan over a medium heat, make the tarka (a spiced oil mix). Add the oil, curry leaves, spices and some salt to the pan and cook for a few minutes until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Then throw over the saag in the pan to serve.
To Serve
- Whip the coconut yoghurt with the lemon juice and salt to taste and dust with a pinch of garam masala to serve. Serve with brown basmati rice, flatbreads and mango pickle.
Extracted from COOKS by Dr Rupy Aujla (Ebury Press, £22) Photography by David Loftus.
