Our Kung Pao “chicken” is a fab Jamie Oliver recipe veganised by Lazy Cat Kitchen. Instead of chicken, we used succulent aubergine and it worked a treat. As Jamie would say: it’s “pukka”!

 

Ingredients:
– 1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
– 2 tbsp cornflour
– 2 aubergines/Eggplants
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– 4 small garlic cloves, chopped thinly
– thumb-size knob of fresh ginger, chopped thinly
– 2 spring onions, sliced thinly
– 1/2-1 tsp hot chilli flakes
– fresh coriander, to garnish

Sauce Ingredients:
– 3 tbsp / 45 ml tamari (for gluten-free version) or soy sauce
– 1 (scant) tbsp rice wine vinegar
– 1 and 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
– 1/2 tbsp cornflour
– water

METHOD

1. Cut aubergines into thick wedges lengthwise.

2. OPTIONAL: Place aubergines in a colander over a deep plate. Sprinkle liberally with table salt and set aside for 30 mins to drain. After 30 mins, wash the salt off and blot aubergine dry with a piece of kitchen towel.

3. In a pan, dry-roast Szechuan peppercorns on a low-medium heat for a couple of minutes. They will start releasing an incredible aroma.

4. Using pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder grind roasted Szechuan peppercorns to fine powder. Sift it through a small sieve to get rid of larger bits.

5. Mix ground Szechuan peppercorns with 2 tbsp of cornflour. Brush fleshy parts of the aubergine wedges with a bit of olive oil and then coat them in cornflour mix.

6. Heat up a griddle pan and grill aubergine wedges on it until soft and browned on both sides**. You may need to fry aubergine in batches if your griddle pan is small. Once ready, set aside.

7. In a bowl, combine 1/2 tbsp cornflour with 2 tbsp of water. Add in tamari or soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and maple syrup.

8. Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add ginger and garlic and fry gently until fragrant and lightly golden. Add in spring onions and hot chilli flakes and fry for another minute.

9. Pour the sauce you made in step 7 into the pan with spring onions. Bring it to a gentle boil and allow to thicken slightly.

10. Stir in grilled aubergine to warm it up gently. Serve over a bowl of steaming hot rice.

 

Delicious Recipe courtesy of:
Duncan and Ania
Duncan and Ania’s food journal
Check out more recipes at Lazycatkitchen.com