Eggplant with Green Onion and Sesame
Steamed Eggplant with Green Onion and Sesame
This is a vegetarian recipe that draws inspiration from two of my favourite cuisines Chinese and West Indian.
I steamed eggplant seasoned it with ginger, garlic and Asian sauces until soft and then finished off with green onions and sesame seeds wilted by hot oil to finish. In Trini terms it's an "Asian Baigan Choka" so if you know you know, lol . This is a very subtle flavoured dish as the hot oil enhances the flavours while giving a luxurious finish . As always, this one can be tweaked based on your preferences.
Tips:
I used Thai eggplants because I had those feel free to substitute with regular eggplant.
I sliced these into pieces approximately 2 inches long with 1/4 inch thickness.
Chinese salted black beans, chili garlic sauce and chili oil can be used in the marinade used to steam the eggplant and add additional flavour.
If you prefer you can use chicken stock instead of water.
If you have a bamboo steamer or vegetable steamer you can use this to steam the eggplant.
Ingredients:
4 Thai eggplants sliced
3 Tablespoons water
1/2 inch ginger finely grated
1/2 inch garlic finely grated
1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon of mirin/sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 stalk green onion/ chive cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 sliced chili pepper (optional)
Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 350F and prepare marinade by combining the water, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, light soy, mirin, rice wine vinegar and salt.
Place the eggplant onto a baking tray and pour the marinade onto the eggplant slices ensuring all of the slices are properly coated in the mixture.
Cover baking tray with foil and place in the oven for 40 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and juicy. (Increase the cooking time if your eggplant is still tough).
Top the warm eggplant with the green onion/chives and sesame seeds (chili pepper as well).
Heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a fry pan until the oil shimmers and it very hot.
Remove oil from the stove and pour the hot oil over the eggplant slices .
Serving suggestions
Plain white rice or noodles.