Phil Gray's #FelixFakeAways Recipe

INGREDIENTS

(serves two)

• About 200-250g of leftover fruit or vegetables with high natural sugar content – can use banana, apple, pineapple, pear, peaches, mango, sweet potato, pumpkin, or a combination of these!
• ½ an onion
• ½ a carrot
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tbsp mild curry powder
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 500ml veg stock
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 aubergine
• 50-100ml sunflower oil
• 2 slices of leftover/stale bread
• 1 egg
• 150g basmati rice
• Salad/steamed greens

METHOD

1. Cut your bread into rough chunks and blend into fine breadcrumbs. Season lightly with salt.
2. Toast them for a few minutes in a dry pan until golden. Transfer to a bowl and put to one side.
3. Add the butter, fruit, onion and carrot into the pan and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until softened into a paste.
4. Add your spice and work it into your paste with a spatula. After few minutes, stir in 2 tbsp of your plain flour. Stir continuously and make sure the mix isn’t catching.
5. Add your stock in 3-4 stages. Slowly incorporate until you reach your desired consistency. If still too thick after all the stock is gone, add in a splash of water a bit at a time.
6. Liquidise if you prefer a smoother sauce – but it is still delicious rustic and chunky!
7. Finish the sauce with a tbsp of garam masala and leave to one side. Reheat the sauce just before serving.
8. Slice your aubergine into inch-thick pieces and season lightly with salt.
9. Set up 4 plates to pane the aubergine, with the seasoned flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Use the fourth plate for the breaded aubergine.
10. Dredge the aubergine on all sides in the flour, followed by the egg, then breadcrumbs. Repeat for all slices.
11. Bring the oil up to temperature. To test the oil is hot enough drop a couple breadcrumbs to see if they bubble. If your oil starts to smoke – take it off the heat and add a splash more cold oil.
12. Fry for 2-4 minutes each side, basting as you go. Turn each minute to check they’re not burning.
13. When you’ve reached your desired colour, remove on to a wire rack to drain. Reheat these in a fan oven at 100°C just before serving.
14. Serve with rice and salad/steamed greens.
15. Leftover breadcrumbs make a great addition to any pasta dish! Just fry lightly with garlic and herbs and use as a substitute for parmesan - Italians call this ‘pangritata’.

If you try this recipe using up the leftovers in your fridge, we'd love to see! Snap a pic and be sure to tag #FelixFakeAways on social.

Every year we waste 1/3 of the world's food. Help The Felix Project rescue surplus food, so that fewer people in London go hungry.