Baby Aubergines and Udon Noodles in Mushroom Dashi
By OcadoLife
Published on 03 May 2022
A quick vegan supper that's ready in just 20 minutes. Dashi is the Japanese word for stock – make your own plant-based version infused with dried shitake mushrooms, soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Pan-fried baby aubergines and padron peppers are then added, alongside udon noodles, for a meal rich in earthy, umami flavours. It's dairy-free, too. Looking for more Japanese recipes? Look no further.Time and servings
20 minsTotal time
4Servings
5 minsPrep time
15 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 8 baby aubergines, cut in half lengthways, scored in a crisscross pattern on the skin and inside
- 1 red pepper, cut into strips
- 12 padron peppers
- 400 g of dried udon noodles, or 4 nests of frozen udon noodles
- 80 g of watercress, to serve (optional)
- 15 g of dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp of light brown sugar
- 55 ml of soy sauce(or tamari if gluten-free)
- 2 tsp of mirin
- 150 ml of sunflower oil
Method
Step 1
Make a quick vegan dashi: start by combining the dried mushrooms and 500ml water in a bowl, cover and microwave for 2 mins.Step 2
Pour the liquid into a saucepan, removing the mushrooms as you go and setting aside. Add the soy sauce, sugar and mirin to the saucepan, bring to a boil, stir, then turn off the heat and set aside.Step 3
In a large frying pan, heat the sunflower oil and shallow fry the aubergines and all the peppers, trying not to overcrowd them in the pan. The aubergines need 3 mins each side, until they’re golden brown; the peppers need 1-2 mins.Step 4
When the veg are ready, lift them out onto kitchen towel, then place them in the dashi while they’re still warm, and add the mushrooms back in.Step 5
Boil another pan of water and cook the udon according to pack instructions (dried take 10 mins, frozen just 2 mins). Drain the udon in a sieve and cool under cold, running water. Divide the udon into four bowls and top with the dashi, veg and watercress.