Chili Miso Eggplant
Meat free Mondays is slowly spreading into Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for many as we all consider how we can make changes to our lifestyles that will have a lasting impact on the future of our planet. It is widely considered as fact that eating less meat and more plants is a tangible way to make a difference and take more personal responsibility for longterm sustainability. Whether that is on your radar or not is not really for me to comment on in this forum. As you all know, my purpose here is merely to get you cooking more and enjoying the wonderful versatility of your Combi-Steam oven. This is another recipe that will help you do that. It may be a bonus for our world that it is also a recipe that is completely plant based and offers you an alternative for your Monday or any day when you want to go meat free.
Eggplants are “meaty” in their texture and this recipe cooks them in a spicy and salty and somewhat sweet sauce. Doing this using your Combination Steam function helps to soften the eggplant through whilst still browning it to get all the flavour. The sauce will thicken and bubble around it.
I like to serve this with some short grain, even sushi style, rice, which is sticky and soft. You may like to do some miso soup to keep the Japanese vibes flowing and serve with some edamame to make a little bento, pick and mix feast. It would also be great as part of a rice bowl, adding a soft boiled egg, some nori strips, and pickled veggies like carrot and cucumber. You could also try other vegetables in with the eggplant to mix it up - mushrooms and cauliflower florets come directly to my mind. Just toss them with the eggplant after Step one with the sauce and cook together. It would also be fabulous as part of a ramen style soup with a lovely miso based stock, some noodles, green leafy veggies and a halved soft boiled egg. Sprinkling with sesame seeds and some finely sliced spring onions at the end is also a must no matter how you serve it up.
So there’s your inspiration. Let’s get the eggplant sorted.
Serves 4 with rice and some other accompaniments
4 small eggplants (firm and shiny)
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs miso paste
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
¼ cup beef or vegetable stock
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tbs finely grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ tsp cornflour
dried chili flakes (to taste)
finely chopped spring onion & 1 tbs sesame seeds to serve
2 tbs sea salt
Chop the eggplant into bite sized pieces. (I like to do it with some angles - like wedges so it looks pretty) Line a colander or a sieve with paper towell or a clean tea towell. Add the eggplant pieces and sprinkle with the sea salt. Toss a little to combine and then set aside for 10 minutes.
Select Combination Steam (Hot Air with Steaming) and set the temperature to 230°C (or the highest your have). (For variable Steam settings select 25%) Let the oven pre-heat.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Remove the eggplant from the colander and pat dry with some paper towel. Place onto the line baking tray and drizzle with the oil, tossing to coat and combine. Spread out into a single layer.
Place the tray into the pre-heated oven. Cook for 10 minutes or until softened and a little browned.
Meanwhile in a flat bottomed oven proof serving dish whisk together the remaining ingredients (except the spring onions and sesame seeds). Remove the browned eggplant and add directly to the sauce. Toss to coat.
Add the dish back to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and thickened and the eggplant is nice and tender.
Remove and serve sprinkled with the spring onions and the sesame seeds. Add accompaniments as desired.
This may be a little something different for you but don’t let that stop you from giving it a go. It can be the star of the show or a complimenting player. You do what works for you.
From a Combi-Steam cooking point of view it’s a lesson in combining the benefits of the steam and the heat to get the eggplant browned and softened and get the sauce sticky and bubbling. So versatile! So simple!
Happy Combi-Steaming!
Yours in the kitchen,
The CSQ. x