Plentiful Eggplants

While working on these recipes I was stopped in the supermarket by a lovely lady when she saw me reaching for the eggplants, saying she’d never cooked them before, and did I have any tips for her? Firstly I said ‘you’ve asked the right lady!’ before proceeding to tell her all the ways I like to cook them and that the single most important thing to remember is to cook them until tender right through. There’s really nothing worse than rubbery uncooked eggplant. While other countries and cultures have long known how to handle eggplants (often called aubergines elsewhere in the world), it seems many here in New Zealand are still unsure about them. Most eggplant varieties you’ll find in the shops don’t require salting to remove bitterness found in some older varieties; however, if you slice into one and find large dark seeds in the middle (as opposed to light almost indistinguishable seeds that blend into the flesh) you can sprinkle the slices with salt, set aside 20–30 minutes then rinse and pat dry with a clean tea towel before cooking, just to be sure.

Chilli + Soy Eggplant with Tofu

This is one of those easy chop and roast dinners that’s basically ready in the time it takes to cook some rice (aka my kinda meal!). Once roasted, the eggplant and tofu get a quick toss in a pan with the sauce to coat. So simple, so packed with flavour and a really lovely budgetfriendly mid-week meal.

SERVES 2 LARGE, OR 4 SMALLER ONES

2 medium eggplants

300g packet firm tofu (available at The Herbal Dispensary, Raglan)

2–3 tbsp olive oil

2 spring onions, sliced thinly lightly toasted sesame seeds, to serve cooked jasmine rice, to serve

CHILLI SOY SAUCE

½ tsp cornflour (gluten-free if needed)

2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if needed) or tamari

1 tbsp black vinegar (use rice vinegar for gluten-free)

1 tbsp maple syrup or golden caster sugar

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp ginger, finely grated

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

¼–½ tsp dried chilli flakes

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper or grease well with olive oil. Cut eggplant and tofu into large bite-sized chunks, transfer to oven trays, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix well to evenly coat eggplant and tofu in oil. Spread slices out in a single layer and roast 15–20 minutes or until golden underneath, swapping trays around after 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Flip each piece of eggplant and tofu over and cook for a further 10 minutes or until golden on both sides and eggplant is tender right through. Meanwhile, combine cornflour with ½ tsp water in a small bowl, before adding remaining sauce ingredients and stirring well. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add a touch of oil and cook the white parts of the spring onions for 30 seconds, whilst stirring. Add roasted eggplant and tofu to the pan. Give the sauce a good stir, then add to the pan. Cook, whilst stirring, for 20–30 seconds or until the sauce thickens slightly and the eggplant and tofu is warmed through. Serve on rice topped with the sliced green ends of spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.