Containing 4 of your 5 a day, this vegetarian chilli is the perfect dish to hunker down with after a cold day!
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine
- 1 tsbp olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 70g green lentils, rinsed
- 30g red lentils, rinsed
- 400g canned kidney beans
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 20g dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 800ml vegetable stock
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Brown rice, to serve
Method
- Begin by setting your grill to the highest setting, then place the aubergine underneath and cook, turning occasionally, until it has completely blackened. Remove, and set to one side to cool before peeling off the skin and removing the stem. Roughly chop the flesh, and set to one side.
- Heat the oil in a large pan then throw in the onion and carrots. Season, and fry over a low heat for around 15-20 minutes until the carrots have softened.
- Pop in the aubergine, lentils, kidney beans (along with the liquid from the can), soy sauce, chocolate, tomatoes, and all the herbs and spices. Give everything a good stir, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover, and cook for 1.5 hours – stirring every 15 minutes to prevent it from burning.
- Take the lid off and allow the mixture to simmer away for about 15 minutes until you get a thick sauce. Stir in the lime juice, season to taste, and serve over the cooked brown rice.
Lead image: OksanaKiian via Getty images.