I remember when my second aunt served me my first slice of lasagna at ten years old I was totally blown away. The multiple layers of cheese (mozzarella, parmesan) mixed with bolognese sauce and spices, with the roasted crispy cheesy pasta crust on top tasted so good that it instantly became one of my favourite foods.
I promised myself that I would learn to make a veggie version of it when I came to London. So here it is.
The only thing about lasagna is that it demands more effort and time. This includes frying the mixed vegetables beforehand and laying out the pasta sheets carefully into the casserole. They tend to tear easily if you are not meticulous enough. Then you have to spread the sauces out in alternate layers. Hence the Chinese name, “千层面”, which literally means "a thousand layers".
The principle sauces I've used in this is aubergines (brinjal) fried with portabelloes, celery, peppers in tomato sauce, and plain yoghurt mixed with spices. You can also use sour cream or other cheeses as substitutes, but yoghurt is more economical and works quite well, so we decided to use it again. Yang did a great job with mixing the yoghurt with rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt and some sugar.
We lurrve it when the grated cheese melts into a crispy golden brown layer in the oven.
The yoghurt dries up after baking and gives the dish a slight tangy flavour, enhancing the savouriness of aubergines and other vegetables.
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