Noodles with Aubergine and Mango

I'll be honest here, if I were doing the ingredients test on Masterchef again and had such things in front of me as Japanese noodles, aubergine and mango, I would definately put them together! Maybe that's why I got knocked out at the final interview! This recipe makes a great lunch dish and is one that can be prepared in advance and just left for an hour or two to infuse. I've adjusted the way the aubergine is cooked to make the dish healthier and to retain some more texture. Otherwise, you can just stick to the original as per the excellent http://www.amazon.co.uk/Plenty-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/0091933684/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326705890&sr=1-1 The measures relate to 2 people and I'd say equates to about £2.50 a head, cheaper for more people due to herbs.

Ingredients: 60ml rice wine vinegar, 20g caster sugar, pinch of salt, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1/2 finely chopped red chilli, 1tsp toasted sesame oil, grated zest and juice of a lime, 1tbsp olive oil, aubergine cut into 1cm slices, 200g soba noodles (other fresh noodles will work too), mango cut into thin slices, 20g basil and coriander, 1/2 red onion thinly sliced.

1. Slice the aubergine, place in a colander and sprinkle with salt.
2. In a small pan gently heat the vinegar, sugar and salt until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add garlic, chilli and sesame oil. Once cool add the lime zest and juice.
3. Pat dry the aubergine with kitchen paper. Drizzle with olive oil and chargrill on a hot griddle pan until cooked on both sides. Set aside.
4. Cook noodles as per instructions on packet until al dente. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain again and then dry in a tea towel.
5. Add noodles, mango, onion, half of herbs and dressing to a large mixing bowl. Toss together and set aside for at least an hour to allow flavours to infuse.
6. To serve, add rest of herbs and aubergine and pile onto a plate.

The recipe states that the aubergine is shallow fried and then added at (5). However I think that this would be less healthy and that the flesh would become a tad soggy. As it is, the combo of flavours, colours and textures makes for a very appetising dish.