Aubergine, Chickpea and Harissa

When I first started blogging I wrote down a list of potential recipes that I enjoy and this was one of the first ones that I thought of. We have been making this as a family for at least 15 years after eating a version of it in a Cathedral cafe and recreating it at home. It was one of the earliest times I had harissa, a north african chilli paste, in a dish and it has been part of my pantry ever since. It was a favourite meal of my mum and me for whenever my dad was working away. We used to eat it with cous cous or bulgar wheat and yoghurt but quinoa or millet makes a good alternative if you need it to be wheat or gluten free. I like to make this dish the day before to allow the flavours to develop and it is perfect as a quick winter supper. If you cannot get ready made harissa paste easily then there is great recipe on serious eats.

Eggplant & Black Bean Siew Mai

After potstickers I think these are the easiest dim sum items to make although I find them a little tricky to make them look pretty. Mine kept slumping on the plate as if the they had all the worries of the world on their shoulders. Luckily, I ate them and put them out of their misery. Next time I make them I will chop the filling more finely to hopefully make a sturdier siew mai.

These Siew Mai are traditionally made with minced pork but I got this vegetarian version off the Vegetarian Times website which has a whole page on veggie dim sum. If you want to make this recipe gluten free I think it would be better to use rice wrappers and make these into steamed dumplings rather than the siew mai shape which requires a sturdier wrapper. They will taste just as good and will be a lot easier to eat with chop sticks. If you need this dish to be gluten free make sure that the sauces and seasonings used in the mixture are also gluten free. These dumplings, like the potstickers from earlier in the week, can be frozen after assembling and steamed from frozen.