Grilled Japanese Eggplant With Scallions And Ginger Recipes

GRILLED JAPANESE EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a large shallow baking dish. Mix together the soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the eggplant and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat grill. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper to taste and grill on each side for 3 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining marinade. Serve topped with the toasted sesame seeds.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH SEARED SCALLION

Steps:

• To expose each eggplant fully to the heat, peel off the pointy flaps of the cap but leave the stem attached. Use a fork to poke 6 to 8 sets of holes into each eggplant to prevent it from exploding while cooking (skip this step if you are oven roasting).
• To cook the eggplants on a grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire (you can hold your hand over the rack for only 2 to 3 seconds) or preheat a gas grill to high. Grill the eggplants, turning frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the skin is black and dry and the flesh is soft. To cook the eggplants on a gas stove top, turn on the burner to high and place the eggplants, one at a time, directly on the burner grate. Cook the eggplant, rotating it often, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it has sagged and is pleasantly smoky and charred. Run the exhaust fan during cooking to avoid filling your kitchen with smoke. If the eggplant isn't sufficiently soft in the middle, finish it off in a preheated 450°F oven. To oven roast the eggplants, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Split each eggplant in half lengthwise and place, cut side down, on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the eggplant halves are soft and oozing a bit of juice.
• When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, remove the skin. (The eggplants may be cooked and peeled several hours in advance of serving, covered, and kept at room temperature.) Cut the flesh crosswise into 2-inch sections. Use your fingers to separate the flesh into strips, placing them in a lovely pile on a serving plate. If the strips weep lots of liquid, pour it off the plate. Top with a mound of scallions.
• In a butter warmer or small saucepan, heat the oil until it starts to smoke. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the oil over the scallions. The scallions will sizzle as they sear from the hot oil. Serve at once with the dipping sauce.

GOCHUJANG-GLAZED EGGPLANT WITH FRIED SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Place the eggplant in a colander set inside a large bowl or the sink. Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
• To a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil and the white parts of the scallions. Turn the heat to medium and fry the scallions, stirring often, until crispy and evenly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried scallions onto a paper towel.
• Reserve a small handful of raw scallion greens for garnish, then fry the remaining scallion greens in the oil until crispy and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer fried scallion greens onto a paper towel.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully pour the hot scallion oil into a glass container or measuring cup.
• After the 30 minutes of salting, dry the eggplant segments with a paper towel. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved scallion oil.
• When the oil starts to shimmer and you see a wisp of smoke, add half the eggplant, cut sides down, and fry until browned and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once and cook another minute on the other side. Transfer to a plate, add 2 more tablespoons of scallion oil back to the pan, and repeat to fry the second batch of eggplants. (If you are lucky enough to have any scallion oil left, use it to fry eggs or to dress a salad.)
• Finally, sauce the eggplants: Add the first batch of eggplants back to the pan alongside the second batch. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the reserved gochujang sauce over the eggplants. Toss until evenly coated and the gochujang starts to caramelize, about 1 minute.
• Plate the eggplants on a large platter and garnish with the fried scallions and the reserved raw scallion greens. Serve immediately. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This dish tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge, or at room temperature.)

EGGPLANT WITH SPICY GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then add onions, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add eggplant and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add 6 tablespoons water, the ponzu, chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil and half the cilantro. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and liquid is absorbed. Serve hot, on brown rice, sprinkled with remaining cilantro.