Vegan Chickpea, Aubergine & Spinach Curry

1. Prepare the ingredients and have them ready in front of you – it will make cooking much easier.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat until hot. Add the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Add the aubergine and soy sauce and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir. Add 5 tbsp water and cook for a further 5 minutes. The aubergine should be soft; if it isn’t, cook for a little longer.
4. Add the chickpeas, curry powder, turmeric, coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, spinach, lemon juice and black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Divide between 4 bowls and garnish with the toasted flaked almonds and chilli flakes, if using. Serve with naan bread or rice.

Top tip: You can easily toast flaked almonds in the oven. Heat the oven to 170°C. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a large baking tray. Toast them for five to 10 minutes, shaking the baking tray a few times to redistribute the almonds so they brown evenly. Pull them from the oven just as they turn golden brown and aromatic. Leave the toasted almonds to fully cool on the tray before transferring to a container.