Spicy Asian Courgettes with Miso Breadcrumbs

This is another dish i love using a vegetable which i always feel gets a bad press.

Cooked badly, courgettes can be slimy and dripping with water, so, like brussel sprouts, i say, keep them away from water at all costs.

Letting the courgettes cook on a high heat so they get a lot of colour is a great way to cook them, this way, they become a perfect vessel for any flavour i fancy using that day.

This sauce is perfect for courgettes and with the miso breadcrumbs to add a little crunch, what more could i possibly want.

I love these Spicy Asian Courgettes with Miso Breadcrumbs warm or at room temperature, both ways are delicious, the best leftovers for any courgette dish.

I’ve tried this recipe with both dried breadcrumbs bought in one of those little paper containers from the supermarket, and the breadcrumbs i make myself from older bread that i whizz up and freeze in bags until i need them. The miso breadcrumbs work so much better with breadcrumbs i’ve made myself. They are courser than bought dried breadcrumbs and they seem to absorb the other ingredients so much better, with an end result, perfect as a topping for this, or any. other dish.

Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!

Courgettes spicy with a delicious crumb

What You Need

• 3 Large Courgettes - Washed and dried

• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil - More of needed - See Tip Box

• 1/2 tbsp White Miso Paste

• 150g Fresh Breadcrumbs - See Tip Box

  Sauce

• 3 Large Garlic Cloves - Peeled and roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp Mirin - See Tip Box

• 1 tbsp Chopped Red Chilli in oil - See Tip Box

• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce

• 1 tbsp Sesame oil

• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

• Malden Sea Salt

Brown the breadcrumbs with the miso and oil.

How It’s Done

• Prepare the breadcrumbs first.

• Place 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and 1/2 tbsp of white miso paste into a non stick frying pan and let it heat up slowly.

• Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and while the breadcrumbs are heating up, use a silicone spatular to ‘squish’ the miso paste into the breadcrumbs, so that the miso gets mixed into the breadcrumbs and oil.

• Let the breadcrumbs cook, mixing all the time, until they have absorbed everything and they start to have a little colour to them. Once ready, remove them from the frying pan to a plate until needed.

• Once the courgettes are dry, cut the ends off each of the courgettes.

• Slice the courgettes in half long ways, but if they are too thick, cut them in half again - See Tip Box

• Pour the oil into the same non-stick frying pan, and lay the slices of courgette into the oil, cut side down.

• Let the courgettes cook on a medium to high heat, until they have a very heavy char. Once they have a deep colour, turn the pieces over and cook on the second side until coloured the same - Be brave when charring the courgettes. It will take more time than you think.

• Cook the pieces of courgette in batches and once one batch is cooked, lay them on to some kitchen paper to drain. - For each batch cooking, more oil is probably needed.

• Once on the kitchen paper, season each piece of the courgette with Malden salt, while still warm. - See Tip Box

Getting a good char on the courgettes is a key to a great dish

• Once all the courgette have been cooked, let the frying pan cool a little. Once a little more cool, add the chopped garlic to the pan along with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil.

• Let the garlic cook , on. low heat, for a minute until it just starts to brown - Don’t take you eyes off it, it can go from golden to burnt very quickly.

• Once the garlic is brown, add the chopped red chilli, sesame oil, soy sauce, and mirin to the pan.

Cooking the sauce for a couple of minutes, makes the sauce syrupy.

• Mix this together on a medium heat until it reduces down into a syrup - this should only take a couple of minutes.

• Arrange the courgettes on a serving plate, pour over the chilli sauce and then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs.

Those miso breadcrumbs on top of the sauce and whats left is amazing.

Tip Box

• Breadcrumbs - I used breadcrumbs i made from leftover bread that i’d whizzed, packed in bags and put in the freezer. Making thes miso breadcrumbs doesn’t really work as well with dried bought breadcrumbs, so try making your own.

• Mirin - If no mirin add honey instead

• Slicing the courgettes - Once sliced, the courgettes should be around the thickness of an index finger. If the courgettes are too thick once cut in half, slice them a little thinner.

• More vegetable oil - More vegetable oil is probably needed for each new batch of courgettes being cooked.

• Season while warm - Seasoning the cooked courgettes with Malden sea salt after they have finished cooking, lets the warm courgettes absorb the seasoning better than when cold or cooking in the pan.