members recipes

The latest Asian Fusion recipe from Mango Ginger: www.mango-ginger.blogspot.com As a former veggie I have learned that the trick to making carnivores enjoy vegetarian food is to treat part of the dish as you would a protein – make it hearty, tasty and chunky. Time: 1hr (including marinating and cooking time) Rating: Super easy Serves: 2 people as a main, 4 as a starter

Ingredients
For the marinated aubergines:
1 medium Aubergine (mine weighed 270g)
2tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp clear honey
1 tsp balsamic

For the salad:
1 avocado
1/3 of a cucumber (about 150g)
Handful of rocket leaves
100g cherry tomatoes
100g sugar snap peas
40g cashew nuts
Small bunch mint leaves
Small bunch coriander leaves
Small handful bean sprouts

For the dressing:
Juice 1 lime
2 small red chillis (a spicy variety like birdseye)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar if you don’t have it)
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp sugar
2cm knob ginger
1 stick of lemongrass

Method
1. Mix together all the marinade ingredients
2. Cut the aubergine into medium-sized chunks and cover with the marinade
3. Refrigerate for 20mins at least, mixing half way through.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C
5. Place the aubergines in a baking dish and cook in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the aubergine chunks are soft all the way through but not burnt.
6. Next prepare the dressing. Very finely chop the chillis (including seeds), lemongrass, garlic and ginger – take time to do this thoroughly as large pieces in the dressing will be unpleasant. Put the chopped ingredients in a jar and add the remaining salad dressing ingredients. Shake well and set aside.
7. Then prepare the other salad ingredients. Put the cashews on a baking tray and place in the oven for five minutes until brown, shaking half way through. Take out, allow to cool and chop or break the nuts in half.
8. Trim the sugar snap peas and blanch them in boiling water for about a minute to soften slightly. Drain and run under a cold tap. Slice them in half widthways diagonally and put in a salad bowl.
9. Peel and deseed the cucumber and cut into small chunks. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and cut the avocado into small chunks. Add all of these to the sugar snap peas.
10. When the aubergines are cooked, remove from the oven and transfer to a plate to cool for about ten minutes.
11. Coarsely tear the mint and coriander leaves and add them along with the remaining salad ingredients.
12. Add the cooled aubergines, pour over the dressing and serve.