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Heat the oil in the pan
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Lightly crush the spice seeds. Add to the pan with the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and lightly fry for 2 minutes
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Slice (not dice) the onion and add to the pan, stir well to combine with spices . Cook on a low flame. Allow to turn golden brown and caramelised. This part is very important! Don’t rush through this part- caramelisation is key! Once the onions are golden add the garlic and stir for a further 2 minutes. Garlic doesn’t take that long to cook that’s why we add it later when onions are already golden.
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Add the thinly sliced capsicum and cook on a medium heat until they have softened and the skin is blistering a little bit.
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Meanwhile, cut out the little white circle in the top of the tomatoes. Put about ⅔ of them in a mixie and grind to a rough purée and add to the pan- it will sizzle and start to reduce- turn down the heat and let it simmer. Chop the other ⅓ into chunks and add so you get some chunkier tomato texture! If you prefer, you could grind up all of them also.
- Allow to simmer, stirring regularly and letting the flavours come together for another 15 minutes. If you are cooking for friends or family- you can make this sauce a day in advance- it only gets better with time!
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When the sauce is deeply flavourful and reduced (it should be thick, not watery, when it is done), ensure it is spread out evenly in the pan. Make four wells (wide holes in the sauce) per person, and add big spoonfuls of Angelo’s vegan mozzarella into the wells (half of a ball per well). Allow the cheese to warm through in the pan for about 5 minutes on a gentle heat. Then scoop up the 2 spoonfuls of cheese per person along with the sauce around them with a big serving spoon, and place into a bowl.
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Drizzle over olive oil and scatter pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander leaves over the top. Serve with crusty toasted sourdough drizzled with olive oil.
When I went to Tel Aviv (a really vibrant city with an INCREDIBLE food scene) I tried all different variations, including in a famous cafe chain called Dr Shakshuka. Typically you make this smoky, spiced tomatoey stew in a cast iron pan and then make wells in the sauce and crack eggs, which then sort of half poach half fry in the sauce and you scoop them up with bread. This vegan version swaps the eggs for far a far superior ingredient- big dollops of Angelo’s vegan mozzarella is a delicious creamy contrast to the tangy spicy sauce. This sauce is my own take using spices and ingredients familiar to us in India.
