Stickily delicious and absolutely the easiest thing to make, this dish is a winner.
SERVES 4-6
Ingredients
3 eggplants
3 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
Squeeze of lemon juice
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Cashew cream (see recipe below)
Small handful of coriander
Method
1. Heat oven to 180°C. Line a tray with baking paper.
2. Halve eggplants lengthwise. With a sharp knife, deeply score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern.
3. Whisk together miso, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger and lemon juice. Liberally brush this onto the scored side of the eggplant, getting it into the cuts. Reserve a little for glaze.
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until well-browned, sticky and gorgeous. Make sure the eggplant is cooked to very soft.
5. Brush with leftover glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds. To serve, drizzle with cashew cream and scatter the coriander on top.
Cashew cream
Drizzle this over the eggplant – or it’s also great on salads, baked potatoes, nachos… Anything, really! It lasts a few weeks in the fridge.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
Ingredients
3/4 cup raw, unsalted cashew nuts
1 cup warm water, plus extra
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
Method
1. Cover cashews with warm water and leave to soak and swell. I do this overnight but an hour will do it. Drain.
2. In a blender, blitz cashews with yeast, lemon juice and salt, pouring in enough water to get it moving in the blender and to create a smooth, creamy texture.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding yeast, salt and/or lemon juice as needed.
