Ingredients
| 4 large eggplants | |
| 2 teaspoons fine salt | |
| 100ml sweet soy sauce (I use ABC brand) | |
| 50ml reduced-salt soy sauce | |
| 100ml red rice or red wine vinegar | |
| 100g caster sugar | |
| 50g black bean and chilli oil (I use Lao Gan Ma brand) | |
| 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger | |
| 2 garlic cloves, finely grated | |
| 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper, crushed | |
| 100ml canola oil | |
| 1 fresh red chilli (approx 7cm long) | |
| 100g coriander | |
| 4 spring onions | |
| 60g crispy shallots |
This dish exploits eggplant’s porous texture and slightly bitter tones to deliver a punchy and fragrant salad. It is a hat tip to my travels in Southeast Asia, and it is ideal for lunch.
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Instructions
| 1. | Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. |
| 2. | Lay them cut-side down, and starting from 2cm below the stem, use a knife tip to cut 1cm thick slices lengthwise, leaving the eggplant attached to the stem. |
| 3. | Season with the salt and allow to stand on absorbent paper. |
| 4. | In a medium- sized pot, put the sweet soy, soy, vinegar, sugar, black bean and chilli oil, ginger, garlic and Sichuan pepper and bring to a simmer. |
| 5. | Reduce by one-third until it is glossy and the consistency of maple syrup. Remove from heat and allow to cool. |
| 6. | Put a roasting tray in the oven and heat to 170°C. |
| 7. | Pat dry the eggplant and brush with canola oil. |
| 8. | Lay the eggplant skin-side up on the roasting tray and cook for 12 minutes. |
| 9. | While the eggplant is cooking, finely slice the red chilli, coarsely shred the coriander and discard any tough stalks, and slice the spring onions. |
| 10. | Arrange on a plate with the crispy shallots. |
| 11. | Remove the eggplant from the oven and carefully fan each half out in the centre of a plate. |
| 12. | Dress with 3 generous tablespoons of dressing. |
| 13. | Allow each person to top their eggplant with fresh chilli, herbs, spring onion and shallots. |
Food styling, recipes & photography David Neville