Packed with Asian flavour, these skewers from the award-winning vegan street food pioneers, David and Charlotte Bailey of Wholefood Heaven, will make any barbecue special
IMAGE: HAARALA HAMILTON
These are excellent skewers abounding with Asian flavours. We use miso paste all the time for soups, stocks and marinades and are particularly keen on the brown rice miso from Clearspring. We tend to use Taifun smoked tofu.
Miso-Glazed Aubergine, Shiitake & Smoked Tofu Skewers
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8-10 metal or bamboo skewers
- 500 /1lb 2oz aubergine (eggplant), cut into roughly 3-cm/1¼in cubes
- salt and black pepper
- 1 green pepper, cut into roughly 3-cm/1½ in squares
- 2 blocks smoked tofu (about 200g/7oz), cut into roughly 2-cm/¾ in cubes
- 6 spring onions (scallions), cut into 4-cm/1½ in batons, plus 1 finely sliced to garnish
- 150 g /5½ oz shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and cut to a similar size as the other skewer items
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for brushing
- 65 g /2¼ oz fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 40 g /1½ oz/2½ tbsp brown rice miso paste
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp brown rice vinegar
- 1 tsp unrefined brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, to serve
Instructions
- If cooking indoors, preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. If cooking outdoors, prepare the grill. Meanwhile, soak the bamboo skewers (if using) in water as this stops them from burning when they hit the barbecue.
- Place the aubergine cubes in a large bowl and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of salt. Leave to one side for about 15 minutes to draw out the water. Rinse with cold water in the bowl, then drain in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
- Assemble the skewers, leaving about 7cm/3in free at one end. We thread on a piece of aubergine, then a piece of pepper, smoked tofu, spring onion, shiitake, and so on until the skewer is full. Brush the skewers with the vegetable oil.
- If cooking outdoors, place the skewers onto the hot grill and cook until they’re almost done on all sides.
- If cooking indoors, put the skewers in a roasting pan and cook for about 15 minutes on one side, and then turn and cook for a further 15 minutes until they appear almost done. At the end of the cooking time, turn your oven grill on full blast.
- While the skewers are cooking, make a glaze by mixing together the ginger, miso, sesame oil, tamari, rice vinegar, brown sugar and a little salt and black pepper in a bowl. Once the skewers are nearly cooked, brush liberally with the glaze. Place under the oven grill, or back on the barbecue, and grill, turning regularly, until they’re lovely and charred.
- To serve, sprinkle over the finely sliced spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.
Extract taken from Fresh Veggie BBQ by David & Charlotte Bailey, £14.99, Pavilion Books
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