Food writer Meera Sodha has shared a new vegan recipe that relies on ready-made ingredients to deliver big flavours with minimal effort. The dish combines silken tofu with roasted aubergine, dressed in a hot sauce of ginger, soy, tahini and crispy chilli spring onions.
“A large part of my ability to put dinner on the table, sometimes at the last minute, relies on the genius of good ready-made ingredients,” says Sodha. She highlights silken tofu, tahini and crispy chilli as “excellent friends in the kitchen”. The silken tofu is described as a “textural pleasure” that pairs well with creamy roasted aubergine.
The recipe calls for 900g aubergine cut into thick discs, brushed with rapeseed oil and salt, baked at 200C (180C fan) for 30-35 minutes until golden. A 300g block of silken tofu is baked on a separate tray for just 20 minutes. Meanwhile, a sauce is made by briefly boiling oil with ginger, light soy sauce, white-wine vinegar, sliced spring onions, crispy chilli and tahini.
Once cooled slightly, the tofu is sliced and layered with the aubergine on a platter, then drizzled with the hot oil. Sodha recommends serving with jasmine or glutinous rice and light soy sauce on the side. She notes that silken tofu (such as Clearspring) and crispy chilli (Laoganma brand) are widely available in supermarkets or Chinese food shops.
