Aubergines work a treat in this vegan version of a classic dish. You can also use slices of butternut squash or sweet potato. Get creative mob!
SERVES 4
40 mins
INGREDIENTS
500 g (3 cups) basmati rice
vegetable stock (bouillon) cube
2 brown onions
3 carrots
4 garlic cloves
curry powder
garam masala
plain (all-purpose) flour
soy sauce
agave nectar
4 aubergines (eggplants)
1 x 400-g (14-oz) tin of chickpeas
dried breadcrumbs
vegetable oil
Get the rice on (following the instructions on the packet).
Dissolve 1 stock cube in 600 ml (2½ cups) of hot water.
Katsu sauce time. Finely slice the onions, carrots and garlic cloves. Fry the vegetables in a large pan with some vegetable oil until they soften. Add 4 teaspoons of curry powder and 1 heaped teaspoon of garam masala. Mix together, and then add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix that in, and then pour over the prepared vegetable stock.
Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of agave nectar. Mix together, then allow it to bubble down and thicken.
Once the sauce is a thick, pouring consistency, remove it from the heat. Place it in a blender and blitz until smooth. If you don’t have a blender, get a masher and mash the sauce, and then pass it through a sieve (strainer).
Aubergine time. Cut the aubergines into 2-cm (¾ inch) thick discs. Set aside.
Open a tin of chickpeas. It is the liquid we want here, though.
Pour it into a bowl, and set the chickpeas aside (you won’t need them for this recipe, so keep them for something else). Whisk the chickpea water until it becomes white and fluffy.
Lay out a bowl of flour, and a bowl of breadcrumbs. Coat your aubergine in the flour, then cover with the whisked chickpea water and then coat with breadcrumbs.
Heat a pan with vegetable oil. Cook the aubergine for 5 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy.
Serve the aubergine on a bed of rice, and pour your katsu sauce over the top. Enjoy!
The featured recipe is from MOB Kitchen cookbook: Feed 4 or more for under £10 by Ben Lebus
