The idea of aubergine bacon might sound a little far fetched however here we use aubergine as the main carrier of the typical smoked, umami, maple flavours. We use a griddle pan however a flat frying pan will work fine too.
Takes 15 minutesminutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
1Aubergine
1tbspoil
3tbsptamari/ soy sauce
1tbspmaple syrup
½tspsmoked paprika
2slicesof sourdough bread or bread of choice
4tbspvegan mayo
2slicesof vegan cheese of choice
2tbspof sauerkrautwe use red sauerkraut
Instructions
Slice the aubergine in half lengthwise and place each half face down and slice into thin ½ cm slices. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with ½ tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil and mix well.
Heat a griddle pan or non stick frying pan and once hot add the aubergines and cook for a 3-4 mins on each side until they have char lines and the colour of the flesh changes from white to an almost translucent light brown colour or beige. If in doubt taste a little and it should be a melt in your mouth texture. In a mug mix together the tamari, maple syrup, smoked paprika and 1 tbsp of oil. Once the aubergine are cooked, turn off the heat and add the dressing it should have enough residual heat to caramelise the dressing, spread the dressing around so that each aubergine is well coated on both sides. Repeat with any remaining aubergines and once cooked and dressed remove from the pan and set aside to assemble your sandwich.
Take the 2 slices of bread and spread the vegan mayo on both sides. Add the vegan cheddar and the sauerkraut and add a number of slices of the aubergine bacon, bring the sandwich together and enjoy!