Mob's sticky aubergine rice bowl recipe
The team at Mob, whose aim is to inspire people to cook delicious, nutritious and inexpensive recipes, say: "This is a recipe that Ben developed, and became obsessed with, during the first lockdown. It’s the Holy Trinity of sticky, sweet and spicy. Give it a go, Mob, you won’t regret it. Plus the variety of veg gives a great kick of fibre."
Ingredients
- 3 aubergines
- 1.5 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 bunch of spring onions (scallions)
- 0.5 red cabbage
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
- 2 red chillis
- 1 lime
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 320 g sushi rice
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp crispy chilli oil (we like Lee Kum Kee), separating the oil and crispy chilli
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds, plus extra to serve
- 1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 tbsp sichimi (use 2:1 chilli powder and salt)
- 1 avocado
- 1 pinch of salt
Details
- Cuisine: Chinese-inspired
- Recipe Type: Aubergine
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 45 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas mark 3/340°F/300°F fan.
- Slice the aubergines into batons and whack them in a colander. Salt and leave for 5 minutes to extract the water. After 5 minutes, pat dry and get them onto a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
- While your aubergine is roasting, prep your veg. Thinly slice the spring onions, red cabbage, garlic, ginger and red chillis.
- Grab two bowls. Add the spring onions (scallions) to one and the red cabbage to the other. Cover the spring onions with the juice of the lime, 1 tablespoon of the rice vinegar and a sprinkling of salt. Over the red cabbage pour another tablespoon of rice vinegar, half a tablespoon of the sesame oil and a sprinkle of salt and mix it through. Cover and place both in the fridge.
- Rinse the sushi rice, then add to a saucepan with just enough water to cover. Leave for 30 minutes to soak.
- Heat the remaining half tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the garlic, ginger and red chillis and fry over a low heat. Once softened, add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, the remaining half tablespoon of sesame oil and a tablespoon of rice vinegar, the chilli oil, sesame seeds, agave and veggie stock cube. Give everything a good mix together, then add the aubergine straight from the oven.
- Add enough water to just cover the aubergine and leave to simmer until it has reduced into a lovely thick sauce. Stir often.
- Drain the rice and add it to a saucepan with 480ml (16fl oz) water and the shichimi. Bring to the boil, then turn to a simmer, cover with the lid and simmer until cooked, about 15 minutes.
- Time to plate up. First, make a bed of your sushi rice. Add a generous dollop of aubergine sauce, a helping of marinated red cabbage and some sliced avocado. Garnish with the spring onions, the crispy chilli bits from the chilli oil and some more sesame seeds and tuck in.
Recipes extracted from Fresh Mob: Over 100 tasty healthy-ish recipes by Mob Kitchen, published by Hodder & Stoughton, £20. Photography by David Loftus.
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