This is one of my favourite ways to eat aubergine – cooked until it is gooey on the inside, topped with crunchy peanuts, piquant chili and aromatic ginger to get that range of textures, flavour and colour!
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 55 minutes
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients:
6 large aubergines – halved lengthways
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons dark soy sauce
6 tablespoons water
½ tablespoon golden caster sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 banana shallots – thinly sliced
1 carrot (approx.150g) – peeled and cut into matchsticks
5cm fresh ginger – peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 cloves garlic – thinly sliced
1 red chilli – deseeded and thinly sliced (use ¾ for the rice and save ¼ for the garnish)
100g roasted peanuts
300g basmati rice – cooked and cooled
Garnish
2 spring onions – thinly sliced
50g roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons coriander leaves
Method
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / gas mark 6.
Score a diamond pattern into the flesh of the aubergines, being careful not to cut all the way through. Brush with sesame oil.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and fry the aubergine halves for 10 minutes, flesh side down until charred and soft. Transfer to an ovenware dish, flesh side up.
Whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, sugar and water. Pour over the aubergine.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and the aubergines are soft.
For the rice, heat a little sesame oil in the same pan and fry the shallots, carrot, ginger, garlic, three quarters of the chilli and peanuts for 5 minutes, then add the cooked rice and for 10-15 minutes or until the rice is crispy in places.
Transfer the rice mixture to a serving platter and top with the cooked aubergine halves. Drizzle over any remaining sauce.
Garnish with spring onions, peanuts and remaining red chilli. Tear over the coriander leaves just before serving.
