Lemongrass aubergine neatballs

Step 1

Heat up your oven to 200º C / 390º F and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.

Step 2

Cut your aubergine / eggplant into thick slices (about 1.5 cm / 0.6") and arrange them on the prepared baking tray (no need to grease). Bake for about 30 minutes, until soft. Allow the slices to cool down completely.

Step 3

Blitz the chickpeas (or tofu) in a food processor until you get a coarse, uniform mixture, but be careful not to overprocess them. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Step 4

Chop up all your aromatics into a small dice: lemongrass, garlic, chilli, spring onions and coriander. Transfer the coriander to the mixing bowl with the shredded chickpeas / tofu.

Step 5

Heat up 1 tbsp of neutral oil in a small frying pan or a wok and stir-fry all the aromatics until softened and fragrant. Add 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil at the end, just for flavour. Transfer the aromatics to the large mixing bowl.

Step 6

Transfer the cold aubergine slices to the food processor and process, but be careful not to over process as we don't want baba ganoush here. Transfer the mixture to the mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients.

Step 7

Finally, add lime zest and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 8

Mix in the flour, start off with ¼ cup and add more later if the mixture is too wet after it's had a chance to chill. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour or stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes if you are in a rush.

Step 9

Once chilled, squeeze portions of the mixture in your palm to make it stick to itself and then roll into balls (mine were 20 g each) in your hands. If the mixture is too wet, add a touch more flour, but don't go crazy, especially if you intend to bake the neatballs as baking will dry them out a bit more than frying.

Step 10

Before you are ready to make your neatballs, heat up your oven to 180° C / 355° F and brush a baking tray with a little oil.

Step 11

Arrange your neatballs on the pre-oiled baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Step 12

Using a flat knife or a spatula, flip each neatball gently to the other side and bake for a further 15 minutes. You may need to brush a little bit more oil underneath each neatball as you flip them.

Step 13

If you want to pan fry your neatballs, heat up enough oil so that it covers the bottom of the frying pan.

Step 14

Once the oil is hot, arrange the neatballs on the pan in a clockwise fashion so that you know which ones have been frying the longest. Leave them alone for a few minutes before cutting them off the pan with a flat knife or a small spatula. If lifted too early, they will stick to the pan.

Step 15

Allow them to brown on all sides, nudging them gently to a new side every now and then. Drain on a paper towel after frying, handle with care as they are fragile when straight off the pan. They firm up as they cool.

Step 16

Serve with a simple Asian-inspired salad, rice noodles and a sweet chilli sauce.