Boil a full kettle. Add your white long grain rice and 225ml cold water to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 12-15 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked. Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered until serving.

While the rice is cooking, peel and finely slice half your shallots, then peel and finely slice half your garlic. Chop your creamed coconut roughly. Dissolve your vegetable stock mix and chopped creamed coconut in 600ml boiled water – this is your coconut stock. Rinse your red lentils in a sieve under cold running water.

Trim the green stalks off your aubergines and discard, then slice lengthways, into strips. Heat a large, wide-based pan with a very generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the aubergine strips with a pinch of salt and cook, covered, for 10-12 min, turning occasionally until golden and tender.

Heat a separate pot with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced shallot, sliced garlic, curry powder and half your ground turmeric and cook for 1 min, then add the lentils and cook for 1 min further. Add the coconut stock, bring to the boil over a high heat, and cook for 15-20 min or until the lentils are tender and starting to break down.

Whilst everything is cooking, slice your green chillies in half lengthways, then slice diagonally into strips. Peel and chop the remaining shallots into wedges. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic.

Peel and finely chop your ginger. Chop your coriander finely, including the stalks. Combine the chopped garlic with the chopped ginger, chopped coriander, cider vinegar, black mustard seeds and sugar in a bowl – this is your pickling liquid.

Once the aubergine is golden and tender, transfer it to kitchen paper and return the pan to a medium heat. Add the sliced green chilli and shallot wedges with the remaining ground turmeric and cook for 2-3 min. Return the cooked aubergine to the pan with the pickling liquid and cook for 2-3 min or until all the liquid has evaporated.

Serve the Sri Lankan-style coconut dal with the cooked rice to the side. Top with the aubergine pickle, garnish with the reserved coriander leaves and season with a grind of black pepper.