Satay eggplant with soba noodle and cucumber salad

Eggplant makes a great alternative to meat or seafood in this satay salad, with its fleshy and juicy texture. This is a great option for light and plant-based summer entertaining – but also works as a side dish for a barbecue.

Satay eggplant with soba noodle and cucumber salad Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, cut into wedges
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 90 g dried soba noodles
• ½ bunch coriander, leaves picked
• ½ bunch mint, leaves picked
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve

Smashed cukes

• 2 punnets baby cucumbers (cukes)
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 long red chilli, finely sliced
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced

Satay sauce

• 125 ml (½ cup) coconut milk
• 90 g (⅓ cup) crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 lime, juiced and zested

Instructions

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 200°C. Place the eggplant wedges, flesh side-up on a baking paper lined baking tray, drizzle with oil and season with a pinch of salt. Roast for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden and tender.
2. Meanwhile, for the smashed cukes, smash the cucumbers with something heavy until they burst open. Cut on the diagonal into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with a good pinch of sea salt and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out the moisture. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Drain the cukes, add to the bowl and toss until well combined.
3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add the soba noodles and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until tender. Drain well and toss through smashed cukes with the coriander and mint.
4. For the satay sauce, combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, fish sauce, brown sugar and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and zest.
5. Divide the smashed cuke and soba noodle salad between four serving bowls. Arrange the eggplant on top and generously spoon over the satay sauce. Garnish with roasted peanuts.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Noodle Salads

Watch The Full Episode Here

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Watch The Full Episode Here

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