Nigel Barden serves up a trio of autumn salads – Chickpea and Egg Curry, Miso and Ginger Glazed Aubergine, Caraway and Balsamic Roasted Beetroot – on Radio 2 Drivetime foodie Thursday that is an ideal student food.

The recipe is taken from MasterChef 2010, Mexican-born winner Dhruv Baker book Spice.

The ingredients for the caraway and Balsamic Roasted Beetroot are: 2 large aubergines, 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tbsp brown miso paste, 3 tbsp caster sugar, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine), 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 clove garlic, crushed, Freshly ground black pepper and 2 spring onions, very thinly sliced.

To prepare the salad, halve the aubergines lengthways and then use the tip of a very sharp knife to score a diamond pattern in the flesh of each half (make the incisions about 1cm apart).

Place the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the aubergine halves, flesh side down and cook for 6-7 mins until golden brown. Turn them over and cook for another 5 mins (cooking times may vary by a minute or so depending on the size of the aubergines). Remove from the pan and leave to rest on some kitchen paper to get rid of any excess oil.

Preheat the grill to its highest setting.

Mix together all the remaining ingredients except for the spring onions in a small bowl. Arrange the aubergine halves, flesh side up, on a grill pan and spoon the mixture over each half. Grill for 4-5 mins until the tops are bubbling and golden.

Sprinkle over the slices spring onions and serve immediately.