Minimal Mess Smoky Eggplant with Scallion Chile Oil

+ exciting PTFS changes

Hello everyone!

Our friend, the virus, decided to hang on in me so my mild sinus congestion lingers. Take care of yourself because the current Covid-19 variants are sneaky, an infectious disease doctor friend told me.

My ongoing Covid state has given me time to ponder a few things.

Despite what people may think of me as an organized person, I have issues with self control and discipline. It’s part of being self-employed for over 25 years. I think I’m never doing enough to fulfill my obligations, and end up putting too much out there, perhaps more than what people can practically absorb.

The Sunday dispatches tend to be long because I have so much I want to share. Writing them bogs me down so reading them may do the same to you, too! So, I’m reorganizing PTFS into Midweek Gems and Sunday Specials (catchy, yes?):

• 💎 Midweek Gems — a new PTFS section delivered to your inbox on Thursdays. Expect quick knowledge hits (think Asian market finds, deals, restaurant tips, cultural info) to enrich your life in the kitchen and elsewhere. Free and paid subscribers have equal access to Midweek Gems.

• ✨ Sunday Specials — detailed presentations of new recipes and deep dives. Sunday Specials are crafted for paid subscribers as part of their subscription benefits. Free subscribers will receive a sneak peak every Sunday, and on the first Sunday of each month, the special be open to all subscribers.

Because today is the first Sunday of September, this easy, stupendous eggplant recipe is for everyone!

I hope this reorg helps you get more out of PTFS. Let me know your thoughts as we progress. I’m looking for ideas and insights!!

🎗️Cooking class reminder » Vietnamese Street Food x Dim Sum happens Sunday, 9/15, from 2-4pm PST. It will be recorded so if you’ve registered but cannot attend, you’ll receive a video playback. Get details and register here. The paid subscriber discount code is here.

Now for that wonderful 🍆 . . .

I love eggplant for its versatility, meatiness, and fattiness. It’s a vegetable that when cooked well, rivals plush, rich pork. It’s why I have four delicious eggplant recipes in my latest book!

Add this smoky eggplant with scallion chile oil to your repertoire too. It’s easy to make, yet complex tasting. I liked it enough to make it twice in the past week!

But I know. Eggplant can challenge cooks. 😩 For instance:

• Eggplant can be an oil sponge (many recipes call for a lot of oil).

• Picking a good one is tricky (hard, heavy, firm-ish, what to look for?).

• It cooks unevenly (the stem end is texturally different than the butt end).

• Charring eggplant stovetop causes a mess (liquid leaks).

For simple weeknight eggplant, I’ve been grilling slices of it or microwaving the whole thing. The results are excellent but I miss the smoky, earthy edge. My dream has been to find a low-mess solution to give me smoky eggplant for my favorite dishes.

Finally, I found it. The solution is a 2-cooking method approach.

5-5-5 Smoky Eggplant Method

Things go down like this:

1. Char the eggplant over an open flame until it’s burnt or deeply brown in many places ~ 5 minutes. The eggplant doesn’t char long enough for it to leak or do damage to your stove. 😌

2. Microwave the eggplant under a vented splatter cover so the eggplant steams to softness ~ 5 minutes. The moist heat helps to evenly cook the eggplant to a plush softness. No oil is involved until you make the sauce — which conveniently cooks in the microwave in 45 to 60 seconds while the eggplant cools.

3. Rest ~ 5 minutes, then peel. Resting loosens the skin while cooling the eggplant.

That’s it. For efficient microwaving, you need a vented splatter cover like this one. I’m evaluating three of them and will share my findings in a future Midweek Gem. (Have a favorite microwave cover? Let me know in comments!)

Can you do this on an electric stove? Unfortunately, no. I tried broiling an eggplant in my toaster oven and there was no charring effect. Use an outdoor grill, if available. BUT, in the recipe Notes below, I have a workaround that good for nutrition too. There’s also a tip for non-microwave cooking.

The level of smokiness depends on how long the eggplant chars and the eggplant’s overall density. Globe and Japanese eggplant are not as dense as fairy tale eggplant, for example. But fairy tale has a lovely firm flesh. Which brings me to . . .

Eggplant sourcing and selection tips

In California, we’re at the tail end of eggplant season so for the freshest, head to a farmer’s market. Supermarkets have decent globe eggplants. Interestingly, on Trader Joe’s sells consistently good eggplants, practically year round. They are priced by the piece so each one, regardless of weight, costs around $1.59 (inflation beater!).

When looking through the eggplant bin, search for fruits that feel heavy with a tiny bit of give. Some softness or small dents are okay, they’re a sign of ripe sweetness, Hmong farmer Kou Her told me. However, an eggplant should never be so soft that you can poke a hole into it with your finger!

That said, some eggplants are bred and picked to be very firm. I’ve found that with the purple striped fairy tale eggplant. Its skin is relatively thick but the fruits themselves are dense and heavy. When in doubt, ask the farmer.

What about eggplant bitterness? I haven’t noticed bitter eggplant for many years so I’ve crossed off that cooking concern.

What I did with 5-5-5 Smoky Eggplant

Naturally, I made what I knew best — a contemporary take on Vietnamese cà tím nướng. The classic is typically made with skinny Asian eggplants but my family added globe eggplants to the Viet kitchen after arriving in the U.S. nearly fifty years ago! They are bigger and easier, yielding more flesh to dip in the garlicky, spicy fish sauce.

Scallion oil typically adorns cà tím nướng but I combined the scallion oil with the dipping sauce and poured it over the eggplant.

Arranging the cut eggplant like a flower isn’t just for pretty looks. It allows you to spoon the sauce into the flesh so as to facilitate flavor absorption. This is a valuable pro-tip I gained from chef Pim Techamuamvivit while working with her on her new book, Cooking Thai.

Aside from the recipe here, you can use the 5-5-5 Smoky Eggplant method for baingan bharta, an Indian favorite; simply skip to step 4 of the recipe.

Scroll down for the recipe, a downloadable PDF, plus notes for ingredient substitutions and equipment swaps. Let me know how you like it, what you do with it, and if you have any questions or suggestions.

Smoky Eggplant with Scallion Chile Oil (Cà Tím Nướng)

Smoky Eggplant Scallion Chile Oil

201KB ∙ PDF file

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Mostly made in the microwave!

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Present this eggplant as a side dish with Vietnamese food or as an antipasti. Any leftovers is fabulous plopped on a salad, layered into a sandwich or presented with hummus for a mezze spread with flat bread.

Serves 4

• 1 large eggplant, or 2 medium-small eggplants (about 1 1/4 pounds total)

Sauce

• 3/4 cup chopped green onions, green and white parts

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2 pinches fine sea salt

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 1 or 2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced (optional)

Cook the eggplant: Tear off the stem flaps of the eggplant. Over an open flame, char the eggplant until burned in many places, about 5 minutes. Put on a microwave-safe dinner plate. Use a fork to poke the eggplant 6 to 8 times.

Slide into the microwave, cover with a vented microwave splatter guard, then cook on high power until softened, about 5 minutes in a 1200-watt machine. Let sit until cool enough to handle, 5 minutes.

Make the sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the green onions, garlic, and salt. Stir in the oil to coat well. Microwave on high power until the green onions soften, 45 to 60 seconds. Let briefly cool then stir in the fish sauce and chile. Taste and add up to 1 1/2 teaspoons more fish sauce, if you like. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with 1 tablespoon water.

Peel and cut eggplant: Trim the eggplant stem then remove the eggplant skin. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch chunks (do this on the plate or on a cutting board; your choice). Arrange the eggplant so the chunks fall gracefully open like a flower.

Assemble and eat: Spoon the sauce onto the eggplant, making sure it gets into the crevices. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

NOTES

Chile sub: No fresh chile? Slice a small serrano pepper, or mix in a teaspoon of chili garlic sauce. Sriracha would muddle up the sauce too much. Omit chile heat if you don’t like the fire at all.

Veganize it: Use vegan fish sauce like the one in my book because it’s a 1-to-1 swap for regular fish sauce. Or, use 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/4 tsp fine sea salt; the color will be darker.

Make it Mediterranean: Use a mild olive oil if you want to serve this more western style, as an antipasti, for instance.

Timing: The cooked eggplant can be refrigerated for up to up to 4 days. Return it to room temperature. Make the sauce, cut the eggplant and assemble to serve. Bonus: Double batch the recipe so you can pull this out, or use the eggplant in other recipes.

Equipment: If you can’t char the eggplant over an open flame, trim and wash the eggplant. Leaving some moisture on the fruits, poke holes into the eggplant. Microwave on high power until softened, 7 to 8 minutes in a 1200-watt machine. You don’t have to peel the eggplant (most of eggplant’s nutrition, the powerful antioxidant nasunin, is in the purple skin!). Cut it into strips or chunks. Add 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika to the sauce to make up for the lack of char.

What if there’s no microwave oven around? Bake the charred eggplant at 375F for until soft, 12 to 15 minutes, depending on size. For the sauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan until hot, add the green onion and garlic and as soon as they soften, pull the pan off the heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients.