Chicken and Aubergine Dhansak Curry

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: 6

Delicious sweet, sharp warming curry. Note – you can swap all the spices for Curry powder if cheaper and easier

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Cost per portion £1.60

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Equipment

1 frying pan
1 Saucepan + Lid

Ingredients

45 ml olive oil
600 g chicken thigh fillets diced
2 onions diced
20 g fresh ginger grated
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 tsp ground coriander optional
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp paprika
2 whole chillies
400 g canned lentils drained, 1 can = 400g
400 g canned tomatoes 1 can = 400g
400 g canned pineapple in juice not syrup, save 100ml juice
1 aubergine diced
2 tbsp tomato purée
200 ml stock use stock cube
300 g brown basmati rice

Instructions
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Rice

Add rice to a saucepan with double the amount of water (e.g. 1 cup rice = 2 cups water). Bring to the boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Leave to cook for 12 minutes. Once done remove from the heat until ready to serve.

Curry

Start by preparing your vegetables. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the diced onions. Cook for 5 – 6 minutes until soft and golden. Add the minced ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.
Next, stir in all the spices except the garam masala and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, to release the flavours.
Add the diced chicken and cook for 5 – 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add a splash of the stock and the aubergine; stir well and cook for further 4 minutes. Add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, while stirring.
Add the lentils (for a thicker sauce, roughly mash half of the drained lentils with a fork before adding them to the pan), tomatoes, chillies, pineapple juice and the rest of the stock. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes to let the chicken and aubergine absorb the flavours.
Add the pineapple chunks and cook for 10 more minutes. If you want a thicker curry, simmer a little longer.
Add the garam masala and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Serve hot with basmati rice or naan bread.

FLEXITARIAN

Cooking tip:

A vegan version of this recipe can be made by skipping the chicken and adding sweet potato or butternut squash (or more aubergine) instead.

Did you know?

The herbs, spices, and lentils in this recipe are an easy way to boost flavour, fibre, iron, and B vitamins while reducing the need for extra salt or sugar. Keeping nourishing meals like this delicious curry on hand can also make it easier to avoid ready-made convenience foods when hunger strikes.

Recipe Credits:

Tylenda, E., Fletcher, K., Catignani, C., Marsh, H., Dickinson, A., Templeton, P. and Thompson, C. (2026) The feel-good family cookbook: tasty meals that save you money, Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire.

This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC IAA), grant reference number: ES/X004309/1.

Nutrition Per Serving

Chicken Aubergine Dhansak Curry by The feel-good family cookbook