Hot Magic

To-ban-jan is one of my favourite recent discoveries. It's a hot, tangy Korean-style chilli sauce that gets used a lot in Japanese versions of Korean food. It's great for stir-fries, marinades and sauces, though it packs a fair punch, so you have to be careful with the dosage.


Today's trip to Whitechapel market gifted me four fat, glossy aubergines for a pound, which I wanted to use immediately. A while back Shoo tore out a recipe for spicy-dressed aubergines from a Japanese newspaper, which fortuitously calls for to-ban-jan; it seemed like the perfect death for them.


However, the recipe calls for steaming the aubergine in the microwave, which at first had me very suspicious. Now, I'm not a massive fan of the micro, but I'm not such a snob that I won't make use of it for the odd cheat or short-cut. Microwaving porridge, for example, is absolutely fine with me as it dirties one dish instead of two. And pre-cooking a potato so that it takes half an hour in the oven? No moral crisis there. So I cast my misgivings aside, and was pleasantly surprised. Not only does the aubergine retain its flavour, but the skin takes on an attractive light purple hue.

The only thing that had me grumbling was, once again, was the crap lighting conditions. How upsetting that such a zingy and flavourome dish should be made to look so pallid! In the interests of honesty, though, I'm including my photo even though it fares badly alongside illustration in the paper.


Ryanbanchezu
Enough for two as a side dish

1 aubergine
4cm piece of leek (white part)
3-4 leaves shiso (optional)

Dressing
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
dash of to-ban-jan
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt

Cut the aubergine in half across the short side, then cut each half into thinnish segments. If you're using shiso, cut it into thin ribbons; cut the leek lengthways into very fine strips and place in water.

Arrange the aubergine segments neatly in a pyrex dish so that they overlap and fit tightly. Cover with clingfilm and cook for about 7 minutes in the microwave on high.

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl (add the to-ban-jan gradually, tasting as you go)

Drain the excess water from the aubergines and place in a serving dish. Spoon the dressing over and top with the shredded leek (and shiso if you're using it).

And another idea: As the aubergine is steamed, this recipe turns out a light, summery dish. To make it more autumnal - and more decadent - you could shallow-fry the aubergine in small batches in a mixture of sunflour and olive oil, before spooning on the dressing.