Samoan recipes: Baked aubergine with whipped feta, pickled radish and chickpeas

Baked aubergine with whipped feta, pickled radish and chickpeas

“I must have been six or seven when I first tasted aubergines in Samoa. They were the long, slender isalaelu, simply fried and caramelised, and I remember thinking they were the most exciting thing I’d ever eaten,” enthuses chef Monica Galetti. “So it was no surprise that when I visited Dad’s plantation, I found a healthy crop of the biggest aubergines I’d ever seen! This dish is a celebration of that beloved vegetable. For extra flavour, you can roast a whole garlic and fold it into the whipped feta. The chickpeas are also delicious on their own, perfect as a little snack with drinks.”

Serves 4. Ingredients: 4 medium aubergines; 4 radishes, thinly sliced; 2tbsp white balsamic vinegar; 400g tin of chickpeas, drained; 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling; 1tbsp finely chopped rosemary; 1tbsp finely chopped thyme; 1tsp sweet paprika; 200g feta; 100g Greek yogurt; 1 lemon, zested; 1 smoked garlic clove, finely grated; 1tbsp runny honey; 1tbsp roughly chopped coriander

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/gas mark 6). Pierce the aubergines all over with a skewer.

Wrap each in foil and bake in the oven for 2 hours. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven to 180°C (160° fan/gas mark 4).

Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and char the aubergines for two minutes on each side.

In a small bowl, combine the radishes and white balsamic vinegar and set aside to steep.

Tip the chickpeas onto a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, the herbs and paprika. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Bake for 17–20 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool.

Add the feta, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, the two tablespoons of olive oil and the smoked garlic to a blender, and blitz until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the aubergines to serving plates, spread with a thick layer of the whipped feta, then garnish with the pickled radishes and crispy chickpeas. Drizzle with more olive oil and the honey, and sprinkle over the coriander to serve.

“This is inspired by a Japanese katsu-style curry but without breading the chicken. I’m using my favourite Japanese noodles here, soba, but you can use whatever variety you like best,” says chef Monica Galetti.

Serves 4. Ingredients: 1tbsp olive oil; 1 large carrot, diced; 1 onion, diced; 2tbsp mild curry powder; 1tsp ground turmeric; 1tsp garam masala; ½tsp chilli powder; ½tsp ground cumin; 1tbsp root ginger, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 200ml chicken stock; 400ml good quality, thick coconut milk; 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, roughly chopped; 100g baby spinach; 300g dried soba noodles; 1 handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the carrot and onion, and cook for two minutes. Stir in the spices and cook for a minute more.

Stir in the ginger and garlic and, stirring, cook for one minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Repeat with the coconut milk.

Stir in the chicken, reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Stir in the baby spinach, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the soba and cook for six minutes, until tender. Drain the soba and serve in bowls, topped with the curry and some coriander.

Pani popo coconut buns

“Pani popo has to be my favourite sweet bun from Samoa. Traditionally baked in large trays – perfect for big families – I only started making them after moving to the UK, when I realised I’d miss that steady supply of buns from aunties back home,” says chef Monica Galetti. ” I’ve adapted the recipe over time, even serving them at our restaurant flambéed with rum, and recently brought a batch to church for International Sunday, which went down a treat. There’s something about the soft, coconut-scented buns that instantly takes me back to Samoa – though now, thankfully, I don’t have to eat a whole tray on my own!”

Makes 8. Ingredients: 1½tbsp caster sugar; 150ml warm milk; 1tbsp instant yeast; 2 pinches of fine sea salt; 250g strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting; 60g demerara sugar; 400ml good quality, thick coconut milk; 100ml water; 2tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted; 50g unsalted butter, melted

In a jug, mix together the caster sugar, warm milk and yeast.

In a large bowl, mix together the salt and flour. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk mixture. Stir to combine until it comes together, then tip out onto a lightly floured worktop and knead the dough to a smooth ball. Return to the bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

In another jug, mix together 50g of the demerara sugar, the coconut milk and the water. Pour half into a 32cm x 26cm x 5cm baking tin or dish, and sprinkle with the desiccated coconut.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and knead for a few minutes to knock back the dough. Divide and shape the dough into 8 rolls. Place them seam-side down onto the coconut milk, leaving about 3cm space in between each roll. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for another 40 minutes or until the rolls have risen enough to fill the gaps and touch each other.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas 4. Brush the tops of the rolls with the butter and sprinkle with the remaining 10g demerara sugar. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden and risen.

Remove from the oven, pour over the reserved sugary coconut milk and allow to sit for 30 minutes before serving.