Teriyaki Aubergine Rice Bowl

Nowadays, January means Veganuary. I have scheduled some of our favourite plant-based dishes for this month to show you how truly delicious a plant-based diet can be.

This first one is one of my favourites. I found it in the October 2021 edition of the Waitrose magazine, and it turned out to be utterly delicious. The sticky teriyaki aubergine with that lovely kick of lime zest – yum – I am salivating just thinking about it. I also love the red onion and herb salad and have used this on lots of other dishes throughout the warm weather as it is so fresh and zingy.

INGREDIENTS

1tbsp wok or vegetable oil
1 large aubergine, cut into 4cm cubes
2 garlic cloves, sliced
half of a 25g pack coriander, leaves picked, stalls finely chopped
2tbsp teriyaki sauce with sesame
1 unwaxed lime, zest of all, juice of half, the other half cut into wedges
half a red onion, finely sliced
half of a 25g pack mint, leaves only
400g sushi rice
2tsp sesame seeds, toasted

METHOD

Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat. Stir-fry the aubergine over a high heat for at least six minutes until caramelised and tender. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sliced garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the aroma of garlic rises.

Place the coriander stalks into a small bowl with the teriyaki sauce, lime zest and 2tbsp of warm water and mix well. Stir the sauce into the aubergine for about five minutes until the sauce has reduced and is sticky.

Place the sliced red onion into a bowl and add the mint and coriander leaves, roughly torn. Season with a pinch of salt and add the lime juice.

Cook the sushi rice according to the pack instructions. Place the cooked sushi rice into a serving dish and top with the sticky aubergine. Garnish with the red onion and herb salad, and sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds. Serve along with the lime wedges.