Sticky rice stuffed aubergines

This recipe is loosely inspired by Lo mai gai - a Cantonese dish of sticky rice with chicken, and also often dried mushrooms, Chinese sausage and dried prawns. In this version, aubergines are halved and roasted, then the roasted flesh is added to a sweet, savoury and slightly spicy mix of sticky rice, dried mushrooms, chestnuts, ginger and chives. The rice is then stuffed into aubergine boats and baked until deliciously sticky on the inside and crispy on the outside. These stuffed aubergines are incredibly flavourful and, dare I say, meaty. They are well worth the effort, I promise.

I use Thai Taste brand of sticky rice, which only needs to soak for 2 hours in order to cook through inside the aubergines. If you’re using another brand, check the side of the pack, as the rice may need to soak overnight.

Ingredients Serves 4

4 small-medium aubergines, halved lengthways (1kg)

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fine salt

Shop bought Chiu chow or crispy chilli oil

1 lime, cut into wedges to serve

Rice mix

400g Thai sticky rice (aka glutinous rice)

30g dried wild mushrooms

120g ready cooked and peeled chestnuts, finely chopped

15g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

20g chives, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely grated/crushed

6 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp soy sauce

3½ tbsp maple syrup

20g sriracha (use less if you prefer milder heat)

1 tsp fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Spring onion salad

20g spring onions, julienned

½ cucumber, seeds scooped out and thinly sliced at an angle

10g coriander, picked

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced into rounds (optional)

1 tbsp lime juice

Fine salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 230C fan.

Add the rice to a bowl and cover with plenty of water. Leave to soak for 2 hours, or overnight.

Cut cross-hatches into the flesh side of each aubergine half. Cut about three quarters of the way down into the flesh, taking care to not puncture the skin and leaving a ½ cm border around the edges.

Arrange the aubergines cut side up on a large, flat baking tray. Mix the 4 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp fine salt in a small bowl, then rub all over the cut sides of the aubergines. Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning the tray halfway, until very well browned. Set aside to cool. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 190C.

In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with freshly boiled water and soak for 15 mins. 

To a medium bowl add the chestnuts, ginger, chives, garlic, olive oil, maple syrup, soy sauce, sriracha, fine salt and plenty of pepper (about 30 twists of the grinder).

Drain the mushrooms and finely chop them, then add to the bowl. Scoop the cooked aubergine flesh into the bowl, being careful not to tear the skin. Once the rice has soaked for 2 hours, drain it well, then add to the bowl with the rest of the rice mix ingredients. Mix well.

Arrange the scooped-out aubergine halves in a 33 x 26cm high-sided baking tray. Fill each half with an eighth of the rice mix. Drizzle 1 tbsp water evenly over each aubergine half, then drizzle with oil. Cover very tightly with foil, so no steam can escape, and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes uncovered. Set aside to cool for 10 mins.

Mix the spring onions, cucumber, coriander and jalapeno together with the lime juice and a good pinch of salt. Transfer the aubergines to a platter/individual plates. Top with the salad, then drizzle over some chilli oil and serve with extra lime wedges alongside.