Vegetarian mains
Fried miso aubergines with tomatoes, green herb rice and shredded omelette
Miso is a fermented rice or soybean paste and is a fundamental building block of Japanese cuisine. It has a deeply savoury flavour and tastes hugely restorative. It partners well with the unctuous flesh of the aubergine and sugars from the fermentation help to balance any bitterness.
Cook's notes
Make your omelette as you would a pancake or crêpe. Swirl the egg as thinly as you can around the pan. These thin, soy-laced omelettes are great shredded over many Asian dishes and broths, or can be used as a wrap and stuffed full of fried rice and veg. They can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, layered between baking parchment, and keep for 2-3 days.
Ingredients
- 200g brown basmati rice
- 2 aubergines
- 2 garlic cloves
- 25g ginger
- 4 tomatoes
- 3 shallots
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 3 tbsp sweet white miso
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
- 30g coriander
- 15g mint
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Rinse the rice well in a sieve under cold running water. When the water is boiling, add the rice. Stir briefly and drop to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 20-25 minutes until tender.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, wash the aubergines. Remove the green tops and chop them into a 3cm dice. Season them lightly with a pinch or 2 of salt. If the aubergines are particularly large, you may only need to use 1½.
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Step 3
Peel and finely slice 2 garlic cloves. Peel and finely chop or grate the ginger. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Peel and slice the shallots.
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Step 4
In a small bowl, stir the mirin, miso, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and ½ the tamari soy sauce together. Mix well until the miso dissolves.
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Step 5
Wash the coriander and mint. Shake them dry. Roughly chop the coriander. Remove the leaves from the mint and slice into fine shreds.
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Step 6
Beat the 2 eggs together in a bowl with the remaining 1 tbsp of tamari soy sauce. Heat a non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Add the eggs and swirl around the pan until even and pancake-thin. Cook until coloured on the underside and set throughout. Slide the omelette out of the pan and keep to one side.
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Step 7
Heat the sesame oil in a wok or high-sided frying pan until shimmering hot. Add the aubergines. Fry on a medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes until starting to colour. Add the shallots. Fry for a further 4 minutes. You want both the aubergines and shallots to colour well.Throw the tomatoes into the pan and cook for 3 more minutes. Tip in the miso mix and 4 tablespoons of water. Let everything bubble and heat through for 2-3 minutes, until dark, rich and sticky.
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Step 8
While it cooks roll the omelette into a tight cigar shape and slice it widthways into fine shreds. Drain the rice. Mix through the chopped coriander and mint.
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Step 9
Divide between 2 bowls. Spoon over the sticky aubergine and top with fine ribbons of shredded omelette and the sesame seeds.