Beautifully tasty, a tribute to yakisoba and lo mein
This is easy to make, and can be done without having all the ingredients. Vegans can substitute the honey with agave syrup, maple syrup or just brown sugar.
INGREDIENTS
garlic
ginger
honey - agave or maple syrup (quite a strong flavour, so use less) or brown sugar - 2 tsps
soy sauce
rice vinegar
Chinese five spice
miso paste
sesame oil - if you don't have any, ordinary vegetable oil will do
aubergine
bamboo shoots - I'm using carrots in this; they're a great substitute texture-wise if you cut them into slices similar to sliced bamboo shoots
mushrooms
vegetable oil
dark soy
cashew nuts
noodles - any kind will do, but as a last resort I'm using a dreadful "Straight to Wok" product. Better noodles would be better, but this is about making do, and it's what I had.
Watch the video
METHOD
Finely chop the garlic
Peel the ginger with a teaspoon - this is the easiest way, plus a peeler or a knife tends to waste a lot of ginger
Put the garlic into a bowl
Grate the ginger over the bowl: what is on the underside of the grater is good, what you are left with in your hand is fibrous and isn't used
Add the honey, miso paste, soy sauce, five spice, sesame oil and rice vinegar
Give it a good stir
Chop the aubergine into bite-sized chunks, add to the bowl and mix to coat thoroughly
Pop in the fridge for an hour or two (or three)
Scrub the carrot (don't peel carrots unless you specifically need peeled carrots; the outer layer is packed with vitamins). Slice into the same size and shape as bamboo shoot slices.
Quarter the mushrooms
Heat vegetable oil in a wok or deep-sided frying pan
Add the aubergine and the marinade juices and the carrot - or - if you have bamboo shoots, you'd pop them in now
Reduce the marinade and add hot water
Add a splash of dark soy
Add the mushrooms, cashews and noodles and stir through
Cook for a further two or three minutes
Plate up and dress with some chopped chives or spring onions