Soba noodles with grilled eggplant

Ingredients (3 servings):

• Eggplant and marinade:

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar (maybe less, this amount makes it quite sour)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp agave syrup or other liquid sweetener
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into ~6mm rounds
• Noodles:
• 200 g soba noodles
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves cut into thin ribbons
• sesame seeds (to finish)

Algorithm:

1. Mix everything for the marinade.
2. Lay the eggplant onto a large pan or a baking sheet and let it marinade for at least 15 mins.
3. Cook the soba noodles, then drain them and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
4. Place the soba noodles in a large bowl and stir in sesame oil and rice vinegar.
5. Bring a grill or a grill pan to a medium heat (150–175°C) and oil the grill grates.
6. Grill the eggplant slices, each side 2 to 3 mins, until there are some grill marks. If the eggplant gets dry, brush it with the marinade.
7. Cut the eggplant into ~12mm squares.
8. Mix together 1/2 cup of the leftover marinade with water, pour over noodles, and mix.
9. Toss in eggplant, basil, and mix again.
10. Top with sesame seeds and serve at room temperature.

Source: Thug Kitchen: Eat like you give a f*ck