Baby Aubergines and Udon Noodles in Mushroom Dashi

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OcadoLife Japanese Recipes

4 serving

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Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Serves: 4

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.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

15g dried shiitake mushrooms
55ml soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free)
1 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp mirin
150ml sunflower oil
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
400g dried udon noodles, or 4 nests of frozen udon noodles
80g watercress, to serve (optional)

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.