Aubergine Schnitzel, Wild Mushroom Sauce & Grilled Hispi Cabbage with Miso Butter - Serves 2

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 90 minutes

A beautifully balanced dish combining crispy aubergine schnitzel, a rich wild mushroom sauce, and smoky hispi cabbage with a deep umami miso butter.

Ingredients

For the hispi cabbage:

• 2 hispi cabbages
• 100g salted butter, softened
• 30g white miso
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 pinch chilli flakes (optional)
• 3 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• ½ tbsp tamari
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp mirin
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• Furikake seasoning, to serve (optional, or sub for sesame seeds)

For the aubergine schnitzel:

• 2 large aubergines
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp cold water
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• Sea salt, to taste

For the wild mushroom sauce:

• 10g unsalted butter
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• A few thyme leaves
• 150g chestnut mushrooms
• 150g seasonal wild mushrooms (e.g., chanterelle, girolle, or oyster)
• 150ml dry white wine
• 250ml good quality vegetable stock
• 300ml whipping cream
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Sea salt & ground white pepper, to taste
• Snipped chives

Method

Prepare the Aubergine Schnitzel

1. Light your Kadai and set up the Cooking Tripod.
2. Prick holes all over the aubergines with a fork and roast over a low flame in the Tripod Roaster for roughly 1 hour, turning occasionally, until charred and softened.

Prepare the Hispi Cabbage

1. Mix all the miso butter ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbages and slice them in half lengthways. Brush the cut sides with some miso butter.
3. Place the cabbages cut-side down on the Holi Grill over direct heat and grill for 10 minutes until lightly charred with grill marks.
4. Remove the cabbages from direct heat and push the embers or hot coals to one side of the Kadai for indirect cooking. Turn the cabbage halves over so the cut sides face up. Brush generously with more miso butter, ensuring it seeps into all the crevices.
5. Place a cloche over the cabbages for roughly another 20 minutes, basting regularly, until the cabbages are tender.

Start the Wild Mushroom Sauce

1. In a Frying Pan or Skillet, melt 5g of butter over medium heat and sauté the mushrooms until tender and the juices evaporate. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. In the same pan, soften the shallots and garlic in the remaining butter.
3. Add the thyme and white wine, then reduce by 70%.
4. Add the vegetable stock and reduce by 70% again.

Aubergine Schnitzel

1. Once ready remove the aubergine from the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes. Carefully peel off the skin while keeping the flesh intact.
2. Lay the aubergine flat and gently squash it with a fork or spatula.
3. Prepare three separate plates:
• One with flour.
• One with the beaten egg mixed with 1 tsp cold water.
• One with panko breadcrumbs.
4. Coat the aubergine first in flour, then in egg wash, and finally in breadcrumbs, ensuring an even crust.

Finish the Wild Mushroom Sauce

1. Add the cream to the reduced stock and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
2. Fold in the sautéed mushrooms, season with salt and white pepper, and finish with a squeeze of lemon and freshly snipped chives.

Cook the Aubergine Schnitzel

1. Heat a Kadai Frying Pan with vegetable oil over medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, use tongs to gently place the aubergine schnitzel in the pan, laying it away from you.
3. Fry for approximately 3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy.
4. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Season with salt while hot.

Make the Goma Dressing for the Hispi Cabbage

1. Grind the sesame seeds into a rough paste using a pestle and mortar.
2. Add the rice vinegar, tamari, sugar, mirin, and sesame oil, whisking to combine into a dressing.

Serve the Dish

1. Slice the grilled hispi cabbage in half again and serve with extra miso butter and the sesame dressing. Sprinkle with furikake or sesame seeds.
2. Plate the aubergine schnitzel alongside the wild mushroom sauce.
3. Serve immediately and enjoy.

We used:

• For the Hispi Cabbage: Grill, BBQ Tool
• For the Aubergine Schnitzel: Tripod Roaster, Kadai Frying Pan, Utensils
• For the Wild Mushroom Sauce: Kadai Frying Pan

Recommended heat: Medium/High