Asian ratatouille

Method

1. For the sauce, in a large frying pan over medium heat, sauté the chilli flakes and sichuan pepper in the oil for 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the palm sugar, soy sauce and Chinese vinegar and stir well to dissolve the palm sugar. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the chilli oil and set aside until needed.
2. For the vegetables, peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds, reserving the juice to use later. Dice the tomato flesh and set aside.
3. In a large ovenproof frying pan over medium heat, fry the eggplant and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes until golden. Add the onion and capsicum and sauté for a further 10 minutes until tender. Add the tomato and simmer for another 2 minutes, before pouring in the reserved tomato juice and adding some freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes to reduce.
4. From here you can choose to reduce it down even more on the stove top to form a very thick jam or, if you have cut the vegetables larger, you can bake it at 225°C to cook it down and caramelise it.
5. Once cooked down and thick, fold through the sauce, garnish with the bean sprouts, spring onion and coriander and serve.