• 2 aubergines
• ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 cloves garlic
• 15g fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped, alternatively chili powder or flakes or whatever you have available
• 2 tblsp tomato purée (I use the one that comes in a tube)
• 2 tblsp clear honey
• 1 tblsp avocado oil
• 2 tblsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Toasted sesame seeds, shredded lemon peel, chopped coriander (all optional) for garnish

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Whizz the peppercorns, garlic, ginger and chilli in a small food processor until finely chopped.

Add the tomato purée, honey, soy sauce, avocado oil, salt and 2 tblsp cold water and whizz to a loose paste.

Halve the aubergines lengthways, then deeply score in a criss-cross pattern, taking care not to cut through the skin.

Spread the paste on them, making sure it gets into the crevices. I used a baking brush for this. I did not manage to get all the paste in/onto the aubergines the first time around, so I added the rest after removing the foil and baking the second time around.

Place in an oven-proof dish, cover with foil and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the aubergines.

Remove the foil, spoon over any leftover paste, and roast uncovered for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until very tender and browned.

Drizzle with the sesame oil, let rest for 5 minutes, then garnish.  

PS, on this occasion, dessert was blueberries in home-made cashew-nut yoghurt, drizzled with a bit of honey :-).