Just A French Guy Cooking: baked caramelised miso aubergines recipe
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SERVES 2
Ingredients
*2 aubergines
*neutral flavoured oil
*salt
*1 vegetable stock cube
*1 Tbsp soy sauce
*2 Tbsp sake (or any dry white wine)
*2 Tbsp mirin (or any sweet white wine)
*2 Tbsp white miso
*sesame seeds
*chilli powder or chilli flakes, to garnish
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/400ºF/Gas 6. Cut the aubergines in half lengthwise.
2. Using a sharp knife, make deep diagonal cuts, 1cm apart, in the aubergine flesh, without piercing the skin. Now make more cuts on the opposite diagonal so the flesh is scored in a lattice pattern. Brush the flesh of each aubergine half with oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Lay the halves on a baking sheet, flesh side up, and cook in the oven for 35–40 minutes. Test with the point of a knife – the aubergine flesh should be very tender.
4. Meanwhile, put a saucepan over a high heat, add 125ml water, the crumbled vegetable stock cube, soy sauce, sake and mirin. Bring to the boil and bubble until the sauce reduces by one-third. Take the pan off the heat and add the miso, mixing it in well.
5. When the aubergines are cooked, brush them with the reduced mirin sauce, making sure you brush plenty into the cuts in the flesh.
6. Sprinkle over some sesame seeds and grill [broil] the aubergines until the surface begins to caramelize and small bubbles appear on the surface.
7. Remove the aubergines from the heat and sprinkle with a pinch of chilli powder or chilli flakes for that extra kick.
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Extracted from Just A French Guy Cooking by Alexis Gabriel Aïnouz (Quadrille, £15) Photography © Dan Jones.
