Miso aubergine

This is a banging vegan recipe that I make with the students at the cookery school all the time. Lovely balance of sweet, sour and savoury flavours in this one, and you don't miss the meat or dairy at all. Have a read on!

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 1 large aubergine

• 170g jasmine rice

• Neutral oil (like sunflower/vegetable oil)

• 1 red chilli

• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

• Small handful of coriander leaves

• Black and white sesame seeds

• Zest of 1 lime

For the glaze

• 3 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• Juice from 1 lime

• 2 tbsp miso paste

• 1 tbsp mirin

• 1 tsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp honey (or more to taste)

• 1 tbsp chilli paste (I use sriracha, but sambal or another sauce would work)

• 1 clove of garlic, grated

• 1 tsp grated ginger

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

2. Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl. (remember to save the lime zest separately to the juice).

3. Cut the aubergine in half lengthways. Being careful not to cut too deep, score the aubergine flesh lightly in a criss cross fashion with your knife. Place on a foil coated baking tray skin side down, and coat the scored aubergine flesh with the sauce, saving some sauce for later. Place in the oven for 20-25 mins or until you can pierce the flesh with a parring knife with no resistance.

4. Meanwhile, boil the rice according to packet instructions (usually 10 minutes or so).

5. Peel the ginger and garlic, then slice each of them into thin strips. De-seed the chilli, then slice lengthways into thin strips.

6. While the rice and aubergine is cooking, pour enough neutral oil into a wide frying pan to coat the bottom and heat to a low-medium heat. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry gently until lightly coloured and fragrant. Do not burn the garlic, as it will make the oil go bitter. Drain them on some kitchen roll and reserve some of the oil.

7. Just before the aubergine is cooked, glaze with the rest of the sauce, turn the oven up to 220C and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

8. Drain the rice once cooked, and plate up. Set a portion of the rice on a plate, and top with 1 of the aubergine halves. Drizzle over any sauce that has spilled over on the tray and a little bit of the garlic/ginger oil, and scatter over the cooked garlic, ginger, chill, the spring onion slices, coriander leaves, sesame seeds and lime zest. Serve with 1/2 a lime.

Very simple one this, but perfect for a mid-week meal or if you're looking for a veggie/vegan meal thats a bit different and more exciting than another chickpea curry! As always, let me know if you make this by tagging me on @OTCooks_Eats on instagram.

Thanks lovely people!

OT x