Crispy katsu chicken with braised eggplant and quick carrot pickle

Author: Niki Bezzant - Founding Editor

Photographer: Melanie Jenkins

Serves: 4

Time to make: 30 mins

Ingredients

¾ cup brown rice
¼ cup rice wine or white vinegar
2 carrots, julienned or finely sliced
1 tablespoon castor sugar
1 large eggplantaubergineX, cut in 1cm cubes
2 tablespoons miso paste
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 spring onions, green part only, sliced
¼ cup LSC (linseed, sunflower and chia) or ground almonds
½ cup fresh wholegrain breadcrumbs
4 (about 500g) chicken breasts, each cut in 2 thin fillets

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Instructions

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1 Cook rice according to packet instructions (or use ready-steamed brown rice).

2 While rice cooks, combine vinegar and sugar in a bowl and mix until sugar dissolves. Add carrot to bowl and push down so it’s covered by vinegar mix. Set aside.

3 Spray a large frying pan with oil and place over a medium-high heat. Add eggplant and cook, stirring, until it is lightly browned. Mix miso paste with 1 cup water. Add to pan with ginger and spring onion and reduce heat to a simmer. Add another cup of water and mix well. Leave to simmer gently while you cook chicken.

4 Combine LSC or almond, breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt and spread on a plate. Dip chicken into crumb mixture to coat. Set aside on another plate.

5 Heat the oven grill to a medium-high heat. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place chicken on tray, spray with oil and place under the grill. Cook for 5-7 minutes, then turn chicken over and cook another 5-6 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

6 Arrange rice on plate and top with chicken. Remove carrot from vinegar mixture and add to plate. Serve with braised eggplant.

Variations

Make it low FODMAP and/or gluten free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and check miso is gluten free. Limit the amount of eggplant to 240g (about 1 medium eggplant).
If you don’t have miso, use salt-reduced chicken stock powder or gel, but halve the quantity.

HFG tip

Miso is a Japanese fermented paste made from soy beans, barley or rice. It has an intense, savoury flavour. Use miso as a soup on its own, mixed with hot water. It can also be used, as it is in this recipe, in place of stock or as a flavour enhancer. Miso is high in sodium, so a little goes a long way.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 439 cal

Kilojoules 1840 kJ

Protein 35 g

Total fat 11 g

Saturated fat 2 g

Carbohydrates 45 g

Sugar 9 g

Dietary fibre 6 g

Sodium 410 mg

Calcium 90 mg

Iron 2.5 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.