Aubergines (or eggplants) are my favourite – not only healthy, but they are a veggie that can be cooked in so many different ways! Now that the weather is getting warmer, this simple Chinese salad recipe is very tasty – and can be prepared in advance. Not only so, steaming preserves the vitamin content really well.

You can also use fresh garlic in this recipe – around 2 to 3 cloves – but I prefer the powdered version because it makes the paste smoother.

Prep time is only 5 mins, and cooking time is around 15 mins.

Ingredients
2-3 Thai aubergines or 1 regular aubergine
1 spring onion
2 tbsps of rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of garlic powder
2 tbsps of tahini
A drizzle of sesame oil

Before you start, boil some water and prepare your steamer!

Step 1: Cut off both ends of the aubergine, half down the middle horizontally and half vertically as well. Also chop the green parts of the spring onion and save it for the garnishing.

Step 2: place the aubergine into the steamer to steam for 15 minutes. I don’t use a bowl with it because you don’t want the liquid.

Step 3: while the aubergine is steaming, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and tahini together to make a smooth paste. Taste and add more soy sauce etc if necessary.

Step 4: Remove the aubergine from the steamer and cut/separate into thinner strands – you can usually do this by running a fork through them. Lay it out in a plate and pour the sauce paste over it, stirring and mixing well. Leave to cool.

Step 5: Before serving, add a drizzle of sesame oil and garnish with spring onion!

The taste is truly refreshing for the summer, don’t you think?