Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant with Scallion Oil

🧂 Ingredients

• 2 Asian eggplants

  (about 21 oz / 600g)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 – 1½ teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 bird's-eye chili, seeds removed and minced

  (optional)
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil

  (light olive oil or neutral-flavored oil)
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup thinly-sliced scallions, green parts only

  (about 6-8 stalks or 30g)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, lightly crushed

  (about 45g)

Instructions

• 1 Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Use a toothpick or chopstick to poke a few
  holes around the eggplants. Place them on the grill and grill until the outside
  is charred and the inside is very soft and creamy, about 30-40 minutes. Rotate
  every 10 minutes for even charring.
• 2 When the eggplants are almost ready (about 5 minutes to go), combine all
  ingredients to make the dressing in a bowl. Taste and adjust to your liking, it
  should be on the salty-sweet side.
• 3 Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and wait until it is hot. Drop
  a piece of sliced scallion into the oil and if it sizzles immediately, the oil
  is ready. Add the remaining scallions together with the salt. Stir and cook for
  a few seconds until fragrant and scallions are soft.
• 4 Transfer cooked eggplants to a clean cutting board and peel off the skin. Be
  careful since they can be very hot. You can slice the eggplants into bite-sized
  pieces or leave them whole and run a fork along them to separate the flesh into
  strips.
• 5 Place eggplants on serving plates. Drizzle dressing, scallion oil and sprinkle
  roasted peanuts on top. Serve right away.

Nutrition Info