Aubergine Adobo With Peanut Rice

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ 425°F/ Gas 7 and boil a kettle

Trim the green stalks off the aubergine[s] and chop into quarters lengthways, then chop each quarter into 4

Add the chopped aubergine to a baking tray with a very generous drizzle of vegetable oil and a generous pinch of salt

Put the tray in the oven for 25-30 min or until golden and tender

Add the basmati rice and 300ml [600ml] cold water to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 12-15 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered until serving

Peel and finely slice (don't chop!) the garlic

Peel (scrape the skin off with a teaspoon) and finely chop (or grate) the ginger

Dissolve the cornflour in 150ml [275ml] boiled water – this is your cornflour slurry

Peel and finely slice the brown onion[s]

Once the aubergine has been cooking for 10 min, heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-low heat

Once hot, add the sliced onion and cook for 8-10 min or until softened

Wash the spinach, then add it to a colander and pour boiled water all over it so that it starts to wilt

Rinse the wilted spinach under the cold tap until it's cool

Once cool, squeeze the water out of the spinach as much as you can then chop it roughly

Chop the peanuts roughly and finely slice the red chilli[es]

Add the chopped garlic, ginger, cracked black pepper and bay leaves to the onion, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 30 secs

Add the soy sauce, cider vinegar and 1 tsp [2 tsp] sugar with the cornflour slurry and cook for 3 min until thickened slightly

Add the cooked aubergine and cook for 1-2 min, stirring until the sauce sticks to the aubergine – this is your aubergine adobo

Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and add the chopped spinach and peanuts

Season with a pinch of salt and give everything a good mix up – this is your peanut rice