Miso-sesame baba ganoush

Method

1. Prick the eggplants 4 or 5 times with a fork and char them directly on the gas burner over medium heat, turning with tongs every few minutes, for about 15 min in total; cook at most 2 at a time (1 round(s)). They are done when the skin is black all over and the flesh is completely soft right up to the stem. Without gas, roast them halved under the oven grill at 250 °C for 30–40 minutes.

   Add in this stepSmall to medium eggplants (about 250 g each) 2

   medium heat

2. Cover the eggplants in a bowl with a plate for 10 minutes, then peel them, discard the stems and drain the flesh in a sieve; allow about 15 min in all. Well-drained flesh keeps the dip thick.

3. In a mixing bowl, stir the miso, tahini, rice vinegar and lemon juice until smooth, then finely grate in the garlic and ginger. Miso is salty, so this recipe has no added salt.

   Add in this stepWhite miso (shiro miso) 1 tbspTahini 1½ tbspRice vinegar 1 tspLemon juice 2 tspGarlic clove ½Fresh ginger, finely grated 1 tsp

4. Chop the eggplant finely with a knife and fold it into the miso sauce with half the sesame oil. Taste: it should be savoury-sweet, smoky and gently sharp. Add a few more drops of rice vinegar if it tastes heavy.

   Add in this stepToasted sesame oil ¾ tsp

5. Peel the carrot. Cut the cucumber and carrot into sticks about 8 cm long and 1 cm thick for dipping.

   Add in this stepCucumber 1Carrot 1

6. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry 16 cm frying pan over medium-low heat for 2 min, shaking the pan, until they smell nutty and a few start to pop. Spread the dip on a plate, scatter with the spring onion, toasted sesame and shichimi, drizzle with the remaining sesame oil and serve with the vegetable sticks.

   Add in this stepWhite sesame seeds 1 tspSpring onion, thinly sliced 2 tbspShichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice) 1 pinchToasted sesame oil ¾ tsp

   medium-low heat