1. Preheat the oven to 220C.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the aubergine with 2 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Tip onto a large parchment, lined baking tray, about 35 x 40 centimetres), so that the aubergine is spaced well apart. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. Rinse the lentils and add these to a medium saucepan with 1 litre of water. Bring to the boil on a high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils are almost cooked. Drain the lentils over a bowl – you want to keep 350 millilitres of the cooking liquid – and set both the lentils and liquid aside.

4. To fry the onions, pour enough vegetable oil into a small saucepan so it rises 3 centimetres up the sides of the pan. You can also use a large sauté pan here if you like: it’ll mean you can cook the onions in fewer batches but you’ll need to use more oil to rise up the sides of the pan.

5. In a medium bowl, mix the onion with the cornflour and, once the oil is hot, carefully add the onion in small batches (or larger batches, if using a larger pan) to the oil. Fry for 4, 5 minutes, stirring frequently to stop the onions sticking together, or until golden, brown and crisp (timing can vary quite a lot here depending on the size of your batch and the temperature of the oil).

6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion to a kitchen paper, lined wire rack and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Continue with the remaining onion in the same way and then set aside.

7. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large sauté pan and place on a medium, high heat. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until the garlic is a light golden, brown.

8. Add the cumin, fennel and coriander and stir continuously for 30 seconds. Stir in the cornflour for a minute and then add the lentils, 350 millilitres of cooking liquid, ¾ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper.

9. Bring to the boil and cook for 5, 6 minutes, stirring frequently until the liquid has thickened to that of a thick porridge. Add the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, the tahini, all of the aubergine and half the fried onion. Stir through and then remove from the heat.

10. Serve either from the pan or transfer to a large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining onion, parsley, pomegranate seeds, sliced chilli and finish with a drizzle of the extra oil.

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Beautiful photo by class participant Sophie Rushton, Smith @thecornerplot