Recipe

November 2, 2014

Honey And White Miso Aubergines

Recipe: Anna Jones

This recipe is everything an aubergine should be, soft and buttery on the inside, and burnished and just crisp on the outside. The miso paste that is generously spread on top is a fanfare of flavour. I serve this with brown sushi rice, which I buy in a Japanese supermarket or online. It can be hard to come by – white sushi rice will work at a pinch.

Ingredients

  •  300 g brown sushi rice
  • 4 long, slim aubergines
  • 1 tbsp melted coconut oil, plus a little extra
  • 2 tbsp white miso paste
  • 2 tbsp dark miso paste
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • Heathy pinch of chilli powder
  • 1 head of kale (about 200g)
  • 4 pak choi
  • Splash of soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tbsp yuzu lime or the juice of 1 lime
  • 4 tbsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp brown rice or rice wine vinegar

Directions

Yield: SERVES 4 to 6

  1. Get all your ingredients together and preheat the grill to medium. First, cook the sushi rice. This is how I like to do it: wash the sushi rice three or four times in cold water, until the water runs clear, then add 400 mL of cold water and bring to the boil. Put a lid on and boil for 10–15 minutes for white rice and 15–20 minutes for brown, then turn the heat off and leave the lid on. Don’t peek, as it will release the steam, which you need to finish the cooking.
  2. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, then cut the flesh in a crisscross pattern without cutting into the skin. Brush both sides of each aubergine with the oil. Place on a baking tray cut side down and grill for 5 minutes, then turn them over and grill for a further 5 minutes, until soft all the way through. Turn the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7 and turn off the grill.
  3. Mix the white and dark miso in a bowl with the honey, mirin, chilli powder and a tablespoon of hot water. Rub the cut side of the aubergines with the miso mixture and put back into the oven to cook for 15 minutes.
  4. Heat a pan with a little coconut oil and sauté the kale and pak choi until just cooked, then toss with the soy and the yuzu or lime juice. Take the aubergines out of the oven and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Take the lid off the rice and stir in the brown rice vinegar. Serve the rice topped with the greens, aubergines and the sticky sauce from the tray spooned over. Top with more sesame seeds if you like.
Author: Anna Jones
Photographer:

Courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers

Source:

A Modern Way to Cook