If you want to turn a vegan curry into a “carnivore” curry, use shrimp, chicken or any white fish instead of aubergine, or you can use them all at once. But if you are preparing a vegan version with aubergine, take advantage of Andrei Velichko's advice on how to get rid of the stiffness of an aubergine skin. To do this, take the fork with the longest sharp tines, and slightly sticking it into the top of the aubergine, slide the fork down to the end, as if you were "ploughing" it. Repeat until the whole aubergine is striped. And now you can cook it, and not be afraid that the hard skin will ruin the taste of the dish and your mood.