cooking for three

Last night we had a friend over for dinner. Often, inviting friends and family over for dinner is so much nicer than meeting them for drinks in a pub. The only difficulty I encounter centres around the fact that I cook in the kitchen, while my guests relax in the living room. Luckily, in a semi-open plan kitchen/living room, these problems can be overcome.

It's often best to make something you're comfortable with that's relatively easy to make. It may not have a short cooking time, but rather, short 'attention time'.

My roasted aubergine curry works perfectly in these situations. The aubergines take time to roast – maybe 30, 40 minutes depending on the size – but the oven works away whilst I enjoy a glass of wine and a chat. The wholegrain rice bubbles away whilst I scrape the aubergine out with a fork and allow the curry (chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a mix of favourite Indian seasonings and spices) to simmer.

Planning for three is not much more difficult than cooking for two. As our guest is a man with a similar appetite to my husband's, I knew to double the serving I normally give him.

Aubergine curry for three

3 smallish aubergines, halved and roasted

2 onions, quartered

½ a chilli

1 clove of garlic

2 cans of chopped tomatoes

About 20 sprays of olive oil

Favourite Indian spices (I use a mix of cumin seeds, chilli powder, cinnamon, ginger, garam masala, or madras curry powder)

250 g rice (50 for a small serving, 100 g each for a double-sized serving)

I've cooked this curry before (back in mid-July), so see the cooking instructions here.

As for healthy credentials, aubergine curry is fairly unbeatable: not too much oil, and no cream or coconut milk necessary, but it's absolutely packed with amazing flavours. The soft, sweet-sour flesh of the aubergine absorbs the Indian-spiced onion and tomato flavours of the curry so well. As always, the longer the curry can simmer for, the better!