Choose a vegan-friendly soy sauce and these party-perfect sticks will be a hit with your plant-based guests.
These can be made well before time, although they are best served at room temperature. If you have refrigerated, get them out 30 minutes before. A good drizzle of sauce will bring them to life.
EGGPLANT, TOFU & SHIITAKE SKEWERS
Makes 16
1 eggplant, sliced into 1cm pieces
¼ cup olive oil, plus 1 Tbsp for frying
16 shiitake mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, crushed
200g firm tofu, cut into 16 cubes
16 basil leaves
16 small skewers
For the ponzu sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Slice the eggplant and place it on an oven tray. Drizzle with ¼ cup of oil. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn over and bake for another 15. Remove and cool.
- Heat a frying pan to medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook the mushrooms and garlic until just cooked through. Let them cool.
- In the same pan, brown the tofu on all sides.
- Fold a piece of eggplant, tofu, mushroom and a basil leaf on to each skewer.
- In a small jug, combine the lemon juice, mirin soy and sesame oil, stirring well.
- Serve the skewers at room temperature with a drizzle of sauce.
