Miso-Glazed Aubergine with Lentils & Tahini

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g tins green lentils, drained
• 2 large aubergines, halved lengthways
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp white miso paste
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 15g coriander, to serve
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
• Pickled cucumber, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C and line a tray. Score the aubergine flesh in a tight cross-hatch, going deep but not through the skin — the cuts let the glaze travel right into the flesh instead of sitting on top. Brush the cut sides with the vegetable oil and season generously with salt.
2. Whisk the miso, soy sauce, sesame oil and mirin into a glossy glaze. Spoon two-thirds of it over the cut sides, working it down into the scored flesh with the back of the spoon. Hold back the rest — it becomes your pan sauce later.
3. Sit the aubergines cut-side up on the lined tray. Roast for 30–35 minutes until the flesh collapses to the press of a spoon and the glaze is dark and caramelised at the edges. If the tops look like they're racing ahead, drop the oven 10°C — you want deep mahogany, not black.
4. While they roast, make the dressing. Crush the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt — raw garlic this assertive needs the salt to tame it. Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, garlic and 3 tbsp water until it seizes, then loosens into a pourable cream. Taste and adjust for salt; loosen with a touch more water if it tightens on standing.
5. Tip the lentils and edamame into a pan with a splash of water, the grated ginger and a good pinch of salt. Warm through for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until everything is hot and glossy. Taste — most of the seasoning will come from the miso aubergines, but the lentils need their own pinch to wake up.
6. Pull the aubergines from the oven. Tip the reserved glaze into the hot tray with a tablespoon of water, swirl it through the sticky tray juices for 20 seconds until it turns into a glossy spoonable sauce — that's where all the caramelised flavour lives, don't waste it.
7. Spoon the lentils onto a platter and settle the glazed aubergines on top. Drizzle the tray sauce over the aubergines, then the tahini dressing generously over the lot. Scatter with torn coriander and the toasted sesame seeds, and finish with a final squeeze of lemon over the lentils.