Sweet Miso Glazed Baby Aubergines with Thai Basil

Asian inspired baby aubergines generously coated with a sweet miso dressing and grilled with thin Japanese peppers, spring onions and kale. I love the addition of Thai basil and roasted peanuts at the end.

This quick and easy vegan recipe is great for summer. From oven to table in 30 minutes or less!

This recipe was created for Meuse Farm using my weekly vegetable bag. The vegetable bag is a true celebration of speciality vegetables like the tomatillo! Tomatillos translates into ‘little tomatoes’ in Spanish and I made a zippy Asian salsa to go along the aubergines.

Seasonal Swaps: you can use normal aubergines instead and coriander instead of Thai basil. Fushimi Japanese peppers are long thin peppers with a mild taste even though they look like chillis. You can use thinly sliced peppers instead.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice on the side.

2 large baking trays and a good non-stick pan or a wok

• 1/4 cup oil of choice ( I used vegetable)
• 400g baby aubergines, halved lengthways, score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern
• 1 small bunch spring onions, topped & tailed
• 1 bunch kale, white stalks removed, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 5 cm ginger, grated
• 5 Japanese frying peppers or 1 large pepper, sliced
• handful Thai basil
• 1/2 cup toasted peanuts, roughly chopped (opt)
• lime wedges to serve (about 2 limes)

Marinade

• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (or any other)
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon brown miso
• juice of 1 lime

1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. Add all the marinade ingredients together and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning to get the balance right between salty, sour and sweet.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan till hot, add the aubergines cut side down and brown until golden. You might need to do this in stages, adding more oil if needed. Drain the aubergines and add to a large baking sheet.
4. Generously coat the aubergines with half the miso glaze and roast in the oven to keep warm.
5. In the same pan fry the spring onions until soft and golden. Add the ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add to the same roasting tray as the aubergines to keep warm.
6. Stir fry the peppers until soft and add to the roasting tray too.
7. Lastly, stir fry the kale until soft and wilted and remove from the heat.
8. To serve: In a large serving plate add the kale and top with the aubergine and spring onion mixture. Drizzle a little miso dressing over the and top with the toasted peanuts and Thai basil. Serve alongside basmati rice.