What's pendulous, bulbous and tastes amazing?
/Hello my loves,
In case you’re wondering, the wedding was beautiful. Joyful, love-filled, fun as all get-out, and just generally everything such an occasion should be. The bride and groom said their gorgeously heartfelt vows as the sun sparkled on Sydney harbour, there were tears and joy, there was music and dancing, there was a towering croquembouche that I may or may not have gorged on, and my feet even managed in their heels right through to the end. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
As I’ve slowly floated back down to earth this week, I’ve remembered something, and that something is eggplants. I have some in my garden right now, and I’ve been very impressed with how they’ve fared. We planted them late, and I wondered whether we’d get a harvest at all, but these little troopers have really stepped up to the plate. If I’m honest, they’re not in the easiest patch of soil to make a home in either, making their current state even more impressive. Because they have fruited. Yes, a pendulous selection of purplish-black beauties awaits me, and they’re almost ready for the pot. We’ll be coming to the end of eggplant season over the next few weeks, so now is the time to make the most of these bulbous late-summer/early-autumn treasures.
Allow me to share just one of the many eggplant-related possibilities you might like to explore: my fragrant lamb and eggplant with easy hand-pulled noodles. I’ve waxed lyrical about these noodles before. They’re the chewy, stretchy Chinese-style noodles that you slurp at a noodle house. You know the ones, they're ferried to your table swimming in a fragrant broth, or bathed in some sort of sticky sauce laced with dark and delicious magic. You'll sometimes see the noodle chefs pulling them with flair behind the counter, but do not fear - you need not be a noodle chef to create these beauties at home. They are eminently and easily achievable in your own kitchen, and I promise you that they will be one of the funnest things you have ever created in there.
By way of accompaniment, this recipe pairs autumn eggplants with a spot of minced lamb and fragrant seasonings to create a hearty, warming sauce. You could omit the lamb and the fish sauce to make this dish vegetarian. And if you really can’t be bothered with the noodles, this dish would work equally well with rice.
The noodles require two relatively short periods of resting, and if you start them mid-afternoon, they will be all ready for your dinner - allow about 2.5 hours from start to finish (the actual effort you will expend in this time is about 25 minutes).
And so my loves, I'll leave you, as I amble off into my autumn weekend. It'll be a deliciously gentle one for me, with not much at all on the cards, other than an armful of eggplants and a slow kitchen dance.
Fragrant lamb with eggplant and easy hand-pulled noodles
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 large eggplants
350g lamb or beef mince
A little vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic
½ cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Chinese black vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste)
400g plain flour
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
About 225ml water
Oil to grease a tray
To make noodles, mix the flour, salt and water together until you have a soft dough that’s very slightly sticky. You may need to add a little more water – there’s lots of variables that can influence dough consistency, like the weather, or the specific flour you’re using. Add water sparingly if required to bring the dough together. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes, then wrap in greased foil and rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Roll the dough out to 1cm thick, lightly flouring your bench if your dough starts to stick. Slice the dough into strips that are about 1cm wide, then use the palms of your roll each strip into a rough, fat worm. Place on a tray greased with oil. Cover with greased foil and rest in the fridge for 1 hour (or longer, up to 24 hrs).
While the noodles are resting, roast your eggplants whole on a tray in a 220C oven. Just put them straight in the oven whole on a tray, no oiling, chopping or peeling required. Cook them until they’re soft when you squeeze them (20-40 minutes depending on the size of your eggplant). Once they’re cooked, remove their soft inner flesh and discard the skin. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frypan, then brown the mince. Mix in the eggplant flesh, and set aside until you’re ready to cook your noodles. Mix the soy sauce, black vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil and chilli flakes together and set aside.
To cook your noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Pick up a fat noodle worm from each end, and swing it about! The noodles will pretty much stretch themselves out into long ropes, which you then drop directly into the boiling water. Repeat the noodle hula until all your noodles are stretched and in the pot, and cook them until they’re done to your liking (3-10 mins depending on how chewy or soft you want them).
While your noodles are cooking, heat the mince and eggplant mix back up, then add the sauce you mixed earlier. Heat briefly until just boiling. Drain your noodles and divide between bowls, then pour over your sauce and serve.
Note
It’s important not to mix the sauce through the lamb/eggplant mix until just before you’re ready to serve. Eggplants are giant sponges and they will soak up the sauce very quickly. I like my noodles swimming in sauce, so it’s better to mix it through in a just-in-time fashion.
Love, Rachel xxx
