Pulled Aubergine Birria Buns

Birria, but not as you know it. Smoky pulled aubergine in a rich consommé served in a bun with all the birria trimmings.

Done in 45 minutes

Serves 2

Dish by Mia Jacobs

Ingredients

Birria consommé

1white onion, roughly chopped

4-5large garlic cloves, lightly crushed

1.5 tsporegano

1/2 tspsmoked paprika

1 tspcumin

1 tspdried thyme

1/4 tspground ginger

1/4 tspground cinnamon

1/2 tspground coriander

1/4 tspground cloves

1 tbsptomato puree

70gchipotle in adobo

375g (or 4)(large) tomatoes

500mlvegan beef stock

2 tspapple cider vinegar

to tastesalt and freshly cracked black pepper

2 tbspolive oil

Pulled aubergines

3large aubergines

a pinchsalt

1.5 tbspolive oil

To serve

100gvegan cheddar

2vegan brioche buns

10gfresh coriander

1/4white onion, finely diced

2 lime wedges

1/2fresh chilli, thinly sliced

2 tbspvegan mayo or sour cream

Not sure why we've never done a pulled aubergine recipe before. It's a dreamy meat substitute - it's tender, smoky, cheap and delicious, especially when served with all the things you'd usually find in a birria taco.

Method

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the chopped onion and fry for a few minutes over a medium heat. Once softened slightly, add the crushed garlic cloves and fry gently for around 4-5 minutes with a pinch of salt.

Add all the spices and let them bloom in the oil, until fragrant, stirring to avoid them burning. Then add the tomato puree and chipotle paste and stir to combine, frying and letting them caramelise for another minute.

Add the tomatoes and cover with the vegan beef stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, until everything has softened.

Char the aubergines over an open flame or grill until burnt on the outside and soft in the middle. Plate in a bowl and cover with a plate and let steam for around 10 minutes.

Peel the skin off and pull the flesh apart with forks. Place over a sieve and let strain for about 15 minutes.

Come back to the sauce - remove the onions, garlic and tomatoes and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the sauce and mix together. Set to one side.

Place the aubergine strips in a hot frying pan and fry to get rid of some of the moisture. Once slightly drier, add a ladle of the consommé and a handful of cheese, and stir.

Melt a circle of cheese in a clean pan and place the top bun on top until the cheese cooks and creates a crust. Assemble the buns with mayo or vegan sour cream on the bottom, the pulled aubergine, coriander, onion, cheese and jalapenos or green chillis. Squeeze over lime, top with the top bun and serve with a big bowl of the hot consommé for dunking. Enjoy!

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Mia Jacobs

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Mia is a self-taught cook with an obsession with street food and an absolute hatred for parsnips. Before joining Twisted Green, Mia founded an online vegan cooking school in the midst of the global pandemic and began teaching people all over the world how to cook incredible vegan food from the comfort of their own homes. Her mission was, and still is, to help transform kitchens everywhere from a daunting space to one that’s filled with the irresistible aroma of frying garlic, and some very special plant-based grub. She also believes that crisps and hummus are a gift to humanity.