Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 1 kg aubergine (skin striped, sliced lengthways, 1 cm thick) 1 large onion (sliced) 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 1/2 kg ripe red tomato (1/3 amount grated, 1/3 diced, 1/3 sliced) 1/4 kg thin skin green capsicum (seeded, halved lengthways) 3 - 4 green chili pods (seeded, tips removed, whole) 50 ml white vinegar + juice of half a lemon All-purpose flour (to sprinkle) 2 vegetable bouillons Vegetable oil for frying 2 tbsp olive oil Salt + pepper + allspice Method: Sprinkle sparingly a very small amount of flour on both sides of each slice of aubergine, by means of a tiny handsieve. Heat vegetable oil in a wide frying pan on high. When hot, add aubergine slices, together with halved capsicum and chili, to turn golden on both sides. Remove on kitchen paper towels, by means of a spatula and leave aside with paper between each layer. Discard frying oil. Heat olive oil in another saucepan. Add sliced onion and stir only until translucent. Remove aside with a spatula. Add garlic to same saucepan. Stir to change colour, then add vinegar, lemon juice and combine. Add grated tomato and bouillons to garlic mixture. Bring to a boil and season. Remove from heat, cover and leave aside. In a wide ovenproof dish, arrange aubergine, capsicum, chili, onion and diced tomato, gently mixing them all together, keeping aubergine slices wholesome and intact. Add one cup of boiling water to tomato and garlic mixture, stir and bring back to a boil. Pour over arranged aubergine mixture, spacing around outer edge of dish for sauce to penetrate within. Arrange sliced tomato and a few onion slices on top of dish. Bake in a preheated oven of 200 degrees, until top is slightly browned. Remove and serve with baladi bread and some green arugula.
