This recipe is packed full of flavor. It marries traditional caponata ingredients like celery, eggplant, and tomato with asian flavors. If you’re at all intrigued, stop what you’re doing and make it immediately. But note that this requires many ingredients and quite a bit of (precise) chopping. Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1.5cm cubes
• 120 ml sunflower oil
• Salt, plus flaked sea salt, to finish
• 1 small celery stick, finely chopped into .5cm cubes
• 20g pine nuts, toasted
• 80g ripe cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
• 20g piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned
• 5-6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 4 t sesame seeds, toasted
• 40g raisins
• 60ml soy sauce
• 100ml Shaoxing rice wine (or pale dry sherry)
• 3.5 T rice vinegar
• 2.5 T maple syrup
• 3 large mild red chillies, 2 left whole, 1 deseeded and finely sliced
• 600g silken tofu, drained and cut into 6cm x 1.5cm rectangles
• handful coriander leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450F. Toss eggplant in 75ml of oil and 1/3 t teaspoon salt and spread on large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
2. Roast for 15 minutes, then stir in the celery and roast for 12-15 minutes more, until the eggplant is golden brown.
3. Leave to cool, then transfer to a large bowl with the pine nuts, tomatoes and three-quarters each of the ginger, spring onions and sesame seeds.
4. Put raisins, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, vinegar and maple syrup in a small saucepan.
5. Cook on medium-high heat until bubbling, then set aside to soak for at least 10 minutes.
6. Put the whole chillies in a very hot, dry pan on a high heat. Cook for about 9 minutes, turning a few times, until well charred all over.
7. Leave to cool slightly, then roughly chop, removing the pith and seeds if you prefer less heat.
8. Add to the eggplant bowl, along with the soaked raisin mixture.
9. Heat the remaining oil (~3 T) in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat until bubbling, then pour over the eggplant mixture.
10. Add 1 T water, gently mix everything together and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
11. To serve, place a slice of silken tofu in the bottom of a shallow bowl and sprinkle generously with flaked sea salt.
12. Spoon caponata over tofu and drizzle with extra caponata liquid.
13. Sprinkle with coriander, as well as remaining ginger, spring onions, sesame seeds, and sliced chili.