Cut the aubergines in half from stem to base, then in half again, and then into thick pieces about 2cm long.

Put the aubergine in a colander over a deep plate (or in the sink) and sprinkle with salt.

Peel and roughly chop the onions.

Warm 3 tbsp of oil in a deep saucepan and stir in the onions, letting them cook over a low to moderate heat with the occasional stir.

Peel the ginger, then grate it finely (use the fine side of a grater or, should you have one, a special ginger grater).

The result should be a soft paste.

Stir this into the onions.

Peel the garlic, then very finely slice each clove and add to the onions.

Let the mixture cook until the onions are soft and pale gold in colour – a total cooking time of about 20 minutes.

Remove the leaves from the coriander and set aside somewhere cool.

Finely chop the stalks and add to the pan, with the dried chilli, cumin seeds and turmeric and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.

Roughly chop the tomatoes and add, along with 400ml of water, and then bring to the boil.

Warm 6 tbsp of oil in a large shallow pan.

Tip in enough of the aubergines that will sit comfortably in a single layer and let them soften and lightly brown.

As they colour, remove them with kitchen tongs or a draining spoon and drop them into the sauce.

Then continue with another batch of aubergines.

When they are all lightly browned and stirred into the pan of sauce, partially cover with a lid and adjust the heat, so the sauce simmers gently.

Leave to cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chop the coriander leaves and squeeze the limes.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the yoghurt, lime juice, coriander leaves and, lastly, the crème fraîche.