Kebabs

Asian Beef And Aubergine Espetadas

Name: Asian Beef And Aubergine Espetadas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4-6 people
Ingredients: 1kg sirloin; 3 Tbsp Chinese five-spice powder; 2 small aubergines; Salt; Sesame seed oil, for frying; 250g packet Chinese noodles of your choice; 1 red onion, sliced into wedges; 2 carrots, sliced lengthways and quartered; 200g broccoli florets; Sesame seeds, for garnish; Hoisin basting sauce; 1/4 cup hoisin sauce; 1/4 cup soya sauce; 2 Tbsp tomato sauce; 2 Tbsp honey; 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 1 Tbsp garlic, crushed; Juice of 1 lime

Substitute sirloin with ribeye, rump or fillet steak.

Method

Start by slicing the aubergines into 3mm thick slices. Place the sliced aubergines on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and leave aside until needed. This will draw out any bitterness.
In the meantime, cook the noodles in boiling water until just tender. Drain, place in a bowl and set aside.
In a bowl, mix together all the hoisin basting sauce ingredients until well combined. Halve the mixture into two separate bowls and set aside.
Slice the sirloin into 6cm cubes and sprinkle over the Chinese five-spice powder until all the pieces are well seasoned.
Prepare the kebabs by threading the beef cubes onto extra thick skewers, alternating a folded aubergine slice with a beef cube.
Brush sesame seed oil over the meat and aubergines and grill on a hot fire. Baste the meat with one bowl of hoisin sauce basting and turn to cook on all sides to your preferred doneness; it will take approximately 8 minutes for medium-rare which is recommended.
Whilst the meat is cooking (hopefully supervised by a braai master), heat a splash of sesame seed oil in a wok on a medium-high heat and stir-fry the remaining aubergine until soft.
Add the onions, carrots and broccoli to the wok and cook until they have softened slightly but still have a good crunch to them.
Remove the vegetables from the heat, stir in the egg noodles and the second bowl of hoisin basting sauce and toss to combine.
Serve these Asian sirloin espetadas over the stir-fried vegetables and noodles and garnish with sesame seeds.