Miso aubergines and courgette with rice
I don’t think I have ever been in a Japanese restaurant and not ordering Miso aubergines. Their flavour is so addictive and Moorish that when you finish them as a starter you feel like you want more. I have turned them into a main meal in here by cooking them with courgettes to make it a more substantial meal and adding some rice and I have to say that because it is so easy to make I hope its going to become a staple in your home too and make travel all the way to Japan.
INGREDIENTS
2 aubergines £1.38
2 courgettes £0.90
3 tbsp white miso paste £0.67
3 tbsp honey £0.25
2 tbsp vegetable oil £0.05
1 tbsp sesame oil 0.11
4 tbsp light soy sauce £0.06
1cm ginger £0.05
1 garlic clove £0.03
1 spring onion £0.11
200g short grain rice £0.39
TOTAL £4 / 4 = £1
Preparation
Start by preparing the marinade. Mix vigorously the Miso paste with the sesame oil, vegetable oil, the honey, a quarter of the soy sauce and half the grated garlic and ginger.
Cut the courgettes and aubergines in half lengthways. Do some crisscross cuts on the inner parts so the paste can penetrate inside. Line a roasting tray with parchment paper, place the aubergines and courgette open-side up and spread most of the paste evenly over them. Cover the top of the roasting tray with aluminium foil and bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes and leave them in the oven to continue to slow cook with the residual heat for another 20 minutes.
Wash the rice with cold water 3 times or until the water runs clear and place in a small saucepan with one and a half the volumes of the rice in water. Place over medium heat and when it comes to the boil, cover with a lid, bring the heat down to its minimum and let it simmer for 14 minutes. Let the rice rest for 10 minutes after.
In the leftover sauce that we prepared earlier, grate the remaining garlic, ginger and pour the soy sauce. Give it a good mix and spread over the precooked aubergines and courgettes and grill in the oven at 250 degrees Celsius for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with the rice with the spring onion sprinkled over the top and enjoy. If you have some sesame seeds to hand you can sprinkle a pinch over the top too, they work well.
