Place the eggplant halves skin-side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven for around 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit), until soft enough to gently pierce with a fork.
Meanwhile, make the BBQ sauce by heating up oil in a saucepan.
Add the onion and garlic once hot and fry for around 10 minutes, until softened.
Add smoked paprika and cumin and fry for a minute until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, dates, tamari and salt + pepper to taste.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat.
Remove from the heat and whizz in a blender or food processor (a hand-held stick blender also works well) until completely smooth.
Once the eggplant is cooked, use a fork to shred the flesh of the eggplant. The shredded flesh should easily fall out of the outer skin.
Add the shredded eggplant and lentils to the BBQ sauce in the pan. Taste and add extra salt if necessary.
Heat to warm through just before serving.
For the coleslaw:
Place the shredded vegetables in a large bowl.
For the mayonnaise:
Add all ingredients for the mayonnaise to a blender or food processor and whizz until completely smooth, adding little splashes of water until you achieve your desired consistency - it should be fairly runny but not too watery.
Add mayonnaise to the chopped vegetables and mix well.
Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Coleslaw keeps well in the fridge so can be made up to a day in advance.
To serve:
Place a few generous tablespoons of the "pulled pork" into each burger along with a couple of tablespoons of coleslaw.
Serve alongside oven-baked fries of choice, if desired.
Video
Notes
*You could also add a pinch of cayenne for heat, and maybe a dash of whiskey, if desired. **My favourite recipes for oven-baked fries: