The summer is upon us, and if you've dusted off your barbeque and are now looking for inspiration for something AWESOME to cook on it, then this jerk aubergine (eggplant) is one of my all-time favourites. Served up with coconut rice and peas (which I would happily just eat on its own) to help cool the fiery heat of the jerk sauce, and nutty barbequed corn.
Vegan Jamaican Jerk Aubergine, Rice and Peas
Ingredients (serves 4):
2 large aubergines (eggplants)
8 Tbsp jerk marinade
200g basmati rice
1 can light coconut milk
Small bunch spring onions (scallions), chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp allspice
2 cans kidney beans, drained
4 corn on the cobs, or 300g baby corn
1 lime
Jerk marinade:
6 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2-4 chillies*
2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp allspice
1 bunch (around 10) spring onions (scallions)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
* 2-4 chillies depending on spice tolerance. Scotch bonnets are used traditionally but you can go for a milder variety if you’d prefer!
Method:
You can use shop-bought jerk marinade if tight for time, or to make your own, simply chuck all the ingredients above in a food processor and blitz until a rough paste has formed (you may need to scrape down the sides a few times). Now, chop your aubergines into 1cm-thick steaks, smother in the marinade, and leave to rest, ideally for a couple of hours. When ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 180C and fire up your BBQ (or heat up a griddle pan if the weather's not so nice). Now, scrape most of the jerk marinade off the aubergines (otherwise the marinade will burn, but keep aside in a bowl). Lay the aubergines steaks on the hot BBQ / griddle - cook for about 3-5 mins on each side. Don't be tempted to move them around, so you get nice griddle lines across them. Once nicely charred, smother each steak with the jerk marinade again and pop in the oven while you do the rice and peas: rinse the rice under cold water, then tip into a pan with the coconut milk, spring onions, thyme leaves, garlic, and allspice. Add 300ml cold water and set over a high heat. Once it begins to boil, turn the heat to medium, cover with a lid, and simmer for 10 mins. Add the beans to the rice and put the lid back on for 5 mins, or until all the liquid is absorbed. While the rice is cooking, char your corn on the BBQ / griddle. Then serve the rice, aubergines and corn on plates, scatter fresh coriander over and serve with lime wedges. Reggae tunes obligatory!
Nutrition (per serving with rice and corn):
Protein: 18.5g(Women: 37.0% / Men: 33.6%)
Iron: 7.3mg(Women: 49.3% / Men: 83.9%)
Calories: 592(Women: 29.6% / men: 23.7%)
Sugar: 24.8g(Women: 27.6% / Men: 20.7%)
Total Fats: 8.7g(Women: 12.4% / Men: 9.2%)
Saturated Fats: 5.7g(Women: 28.5% / Men: 19.0%)
Salt: 1.3g(Women: 21.7% / Men: 21.7%)
Fibre: 19.3g(Women: 64.3% / Men 64.3%)
See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.