Roasted Aubergines with Sesame Oil and Rosemary

Summer has officially begun so its time to ingest some healthy appetites before vacation and celebrations interrupts us with treats we can’t turn away from. What better way is it, therefore, to enjoy a dinner of a healthy roast vegetable and rice! Aubergines of all kinds are tremendously popular in Thailand; they range in colours and sizes, however here we utilise a local international one, that being the standard big purple version. Generally speaking, aubergines in oriental cooking can be somewhat oily and at times overwhelming. Grilling them all the time can also become uninspiring. Knowing how to handle this vege is quite difficult in a sense that it doesn’t cook as easily as other vegetables nor does it release any exciting flavours. Nonetheless, I recently found out that aubergines, once cut, should be soaked in generous salt to absorb its watery content-in which this takes about an hour. Great for weekend cooking i guess, but who has time for this after a long day at work? Not me that’s for sure. I handle this by simply seasoning these aubergines and straight it goes into the oven. Outcome: an oasis of fragrant purpleness accommodated with a gentle crisp coating.

Serves 2

Aubergines
Aubergine chopped into small pieces (around 2cm) 2
Rosemary a few sprigs
Spring Onions roughly chopped 3

Seasoning
Fine Sea Salt a generous pinch
Soya Sauce 6 tbs
Sesame Oil 3 tbs

Preheat oven to 180°C | Gas Mark 4 | 350°F.
In a large bowl add a generous pinch of salt to aubergines pieces. Ensure they are covered well with salt before incorporating soya sauce and sesame oil. Line a baking tray with baking paper (so that aubergines don’t stick onto base) and scatter aubergines all over. Crush rosemary sprigs with your hands and place on top of aubergines. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
Take out of oven, transfer onto a serving plate and sprinkle top with roughly chopped spring onions.