Salad of tofu, aubergines and leaves with ginger dressing

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves 4

This recipe looks long, but it’s because there’s both a sauce for the aubergines and a dressing. It’s not quick to make but it has fantastic flavours. You can make it less of a salad by serving it with rice as a main, using baby spinach leaves (they will wilt in the heat of the rice) and omitting the other leaves.

INGREDIENTS For the salad

– 2 medium aubergines

– 2-3 tbsp groundnut oil

– 4 tbsp medium sherry or sake

– 3 tbsp light soy sauce – 3 tbsp mirin

– 2 garlic cloves, grated to a purée

– 2cm ginger root, peeled and grated to a purée

– 1 tsp maple syrup

– 80g baby salad leaves

– 5g coriander leaves – leaves from 8 sprigs of mint

For the dressing

– 1 tbsp rice vinegar

– 1 tbsp maple syrup

– 2 tsp light soy sauce

– 1 tbsp groundnut oil

– 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

– 1.5cm square piece of ginger root, peeled and grated to a purée

– 1 garlic clove, grated to a purée

– juice of 1 lime (add to taste – you might not need it all)

For the tofu

– 200g extra-firm tofu

– 15g cornflour, seasoned

– 1½ tbsp groundnut oil

– ¼ tsp chilli flakes

– 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

– 1.5cm square piece of ginger root, peeled and grated to a purée

– 1½ tsp black sesame seeds

METHOD

Cut the aubergines lengthways into slices 1cm thick. Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan and fry in batches, using more oil when you need it. As you do each batch, transfer the slices to a large plate covered with a double layer of kitchen paper. Blot the top of the aubergines too, to soak up excess oil.

In a bowl mix the sherry or sake, soy sauce, mirin, garlic, ginger and maple syrup.

Wipe the pan you used for the aubergines with kitchen paper. Put the aubergines back in the pan and set over a medium heat. Add the mixture from the bowl and cook until it’s almost completely reduced and the aubergines are glossy. Transfer the aubergines to a broad, shallow bowl.

To make the dressing, just whisk everything together with a fork. Taste. You shouldn’t need any salt because of the soy sauce. Set aside.

Drain the tofu and gently squeeze the block in a double layer of kitchen paper. Cut into 1.5cm square cubes. Toss these in the seasoned cornflour, then shake off the excess. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the tofu. Leave the cubes – it’s not good to move them too quickly or they won’t become golden and crisp – but keep an eye on them. Turn them over so that they become golden on all their sides. When they’re almost cooked, add the chilli, garlic and ginger. Cook for another couple of minutes. Add the sesame seeds and toss the cubes around, then season with salt flakes and pepper.

Put the salad leaves in a mixing bowl with the coriander, mint and tofu, and toss with some of the dressing (reserve some to drizzle on before serving). Divide between four plates and furl the aubergine slices on top – the salad needs a bit of height. Drizzle the rest of the dressing on top and serve.