Cold Steamed Eggplant With Sesame Soy Dressing Recipes

COLD STEAMED EGGPLANT WITH SESAME SOY DRESSING

Steps:

• Whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, sesame or walnut oil, and canola oil. Add the optional ginger and/or garlic. Set aside.
• If you can find Japanese eggplant, cut them in half lengthwise. If using large globe eggplants, cut them lengthwise into quarters. Place in a steamer and steam 10 to 15 minutes, until thoroughly tender. Remove from the heat and cut in 3/4-inch wide slices. Season with salt. Toss gently with the dressing (it's okay if the eggplant falls apart a little) and half the chives while warm, and chill for 1 hour. Toss again and serve on a bed of baby arugula. Sprinkle the remaining chives over the top.

STEAMED EGGPLANT WITH SESAME SOY SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim off the stem end of the eggplants. Cut them crosswise into pieces about 2 inches in length.
• Place the eggplant slices onto a steamer rack and steam over medium-high heat for 6-10 minutes, or until they are cooked to your liking.
• While the eggplants are steaming, make the sauce by combining soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, ground dried chillies, garlic, ginger and sugar.
• Stir well to blend flavors.
• Remove the eggplants from the steamer and slice each piece in half lengthwise and each half again into 2-3 long strips. Arrange the pieces in a single layer on a serving plate. Spoon the sesame-soy sauce evenly over the eggplant pieces, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. You can also garnish with green coriander/cilantro.

COLD EGGPLANT SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• Trim eggplant, and cut into cubes of 1/2 to 1 inch. If using large eggplant, sprinkle with salt, put in a colander, and let sit at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. Rinse.
• Boil large pot of water. Blanch eggplant in boiling water 2 minutes, no more. It will become just tender. Drain in colander as you would pasta.
• Toast sesame seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking frequently until they color slightly. Dry eggplant with paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients, and toss with eggplant and sesame seeds in bowl. Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Covered well, the salad will remain flavorful for a day.

EGGPLANT WITH SESAME SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 12 minutes. Add chili powder and next 4 ingredients. Cook until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in garlic, cloves, cardamom and bay leaves. Set aside. Cook sesame seeds in medium skillet over medium heat until golden, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Transfer to processor; grind to coarse powder. Add 3 tablespoons oil, onion mixture, 1 tablespoon water and ginger; blend until mixture forms paste. Season with salt. Spread 1/3 cup paste over scored side of eggplants (reserve remaining paste in processor). Steam eggplants, paste side up, until tender, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add broth to remaining sesame paste in processor; blend well. Transfer to small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to sauce consistency, about 8 minutes. Transfer eggplants to plate. Spoon sauce over. Garnish with cilantro.

COLD EGGPLANT WITH SPICY ASIAN PEANUT DRESSING

Steps:

• Quarter the eggplants and cut them crosswise into 3-inch sections.
• Steam over high heat until tender, 10-15 minutes, using a bamboo steamer or steamer basket.
• Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients for the sauce, except the cilantro, and mix well.
• When eggplants are tender, gently mix into the sauce in a serving dish. Sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve at room temperature or chilled.