Spicy Eggplant Salad With Sesame Oil
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 2pounds small, firm eggplants
- 1tablespoon soy sauce
- 1tablespoon rice vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 1teaspoon brown sugar
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 2tablespoons grated ginger
- 1½teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1teaspoon hot pepper oil, optional
- 2tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
- 6scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
- 1thinly sliced serrano chile, optional
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
112 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 450 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Cook the eggplants in a covered steamer over rapidly boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then peel. Put the flesh in a fine meshed strainer to drain excess liquid.
- Step 2
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, salt and sugar. Add garlic, ginger, sesame oil, vegetable oil and hot pepper oil, if using.
- Step 3
Put drained eggplants in a bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the eggplants a bit, then pour dressing over and toss, coating well. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- Step 4
Just before serving, stir in chopped cilantro. Pile eggplants on a platter and sprinkle with scallions. Garnish with serrano chile, if using, and cilantro sprigs.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Andree Abramoff
On picking eggplants, I always go for the male eggplants that have fewer seeds, and are therefore less bitter than female eggplants. To tell them apart, one should look at the indentation on the bottom: if it's straight and shaped like a dash, it's female; if it's shallow and round, it's male.
I always get quizzical looks and giggles at the vegetable stands when I'm asked why I check bottoms and reply "I prefer the male eggplant!"
MRG
The idea that there are "male" and "female" eggplants is a nice piece of folk "wisdom" but it's not true that they differ by sex. Both are the product of the same type of sexual reproduction. Nevertheless, U. Ill. Extension experts say there is some truth to the idea that the differently shaped bottom dimples correlate with differences in seediness, just as AA says. See: http://extension.illinois.edu/veggies/eggplant.cfm
katy lesser
i grilled the eggplant (right out of the garden!!), chopped it skin and all, and dressed it with this wonderful gingery dressing. a great new way to use the immense eggplant harvest that is happening right now!
Elizabeth K
I doubled the dressing and let the eggplant marinate overnight. Then I added chopped cooked shrimp and marinated another hour. I served it over brown rice cooked in half water, half coconut milk. It was fabulous. Crabmeat would probably be delicious too.
David S
I tried this recipe. Before preparing I read what BGE said about the eggplant & 'dressing' parts "not melding" & decided to marinate them together overnight. Excellent results.
Also before preparing I read what MichaelK said about the unwieldiness of peeling the eggplant post-steaming. Instead I used a regular carrot peeler to peel the eggplants before steaming. I then cut them up into 1" cubes. It worked out fine.
Enthusiastic thumbs up.
BGE
Gotta say, I was unimpressed. The eggplant pieces come out far too large, and the flavors never fully melded.
For a far superior variation on this theme, try the "Chinese Noodle Salad with Roasted Eggplant" from the Greens cookbook. It's a lot of work, but very tasty.
Maureen
For those who had trouble "peeling" the eggplant, I have 2 tips: 1) Steam way longer than 10 minutes. A fork should go to the center easily, and 2) Slice in half and scoop out the inside with a spoon. Yes, it'll be soft enough that the skin breaks some, but it's easy to pick out.
MichaelK
The dish turned out great. Used Asian eggplants. Mine wound up needing a bit more sugar, but could be because I had an extra juicy lime.
BUT: What fiend from hell came up with the idea of peeling steamed eggplants, in their soft, flaccid, squooshy state? Took forever. Next time will try peeling raw, then wrapping in plastic, punching holes and microwaving the eggplant.
Andrea
I used a red fresno chile instead of the hot pepper oil and added mint leaves as garnish; it was delicious .
Roz
No need to peel. Just slit the skin from top to bottom, and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. If you use a large eggplant, you may need to quarter it before scraping.
This salad is meant to be served at room temperature, or, if made ahead, and refrigerated, cool but not cold. Same as with hummus, and many other Mediterranean salads.
Christa
I roasted a big honking 2-pound eggplant whole in a 400-degree oven (pricked all over so it wouldn't explode) for an hour until it collapsed and the skin separated, then peeled it after it had cooled, which gave the salad a smoky flavor, and swapped the cilantro for Thai basil from my CSA share. I could live on eggplant salads all summer long and look forward to them every summer, and I love David Tanis' elegant and unfussy recipes.
Maureen
Okay, made this again. Steamed the eggplant 20 minutes to get it nice and soft, and then the skin peels off with a sharp-edged spoon. Also added a extra toasted sesame oil and a small amount of tahini instead of vegetable oil. Had it on toast, with avocado toast too - yum!
michelle
This was delicious! The recipe isn’t clear what type of eggplant to use but I used Chinese eggplants. I made a half serving for myself and ate it all in one sitting over a small bit of rice. I found the recipe quite quick, I steamed the eggplants while I was doing other chores and then the dressing took probably a total of 5 min to make. I didn’t let it sit for 10 min after mixing because I was too hungry, and thought the flavors still melded.
HR
8/29/20. Really liked this. You have to like gooey eggplant, though. Best to grill until collapsing then skin easily slips off. Do early so marinade can soak in.
Es
Easy, can be made in advance, and will be good the next day. I steamed about 10 very small Japanese eggplants, omitted the ginger and cilantro. Added a jalapeno and basil. Delicious. Great on crackers.
silvia rennie
A fantastic success! BUT not before I doctored the recipe. When it was mostly ready it seemed quite insipid. So I went to work with more soy sauce, much more lemon juice (didn't have lime), much more ginger, more Nature's Season, more vinegar. Finally, the spring onions and cilantro made it "sing". B.t.w., I roasted the egg plants and chopped them, leaving the skins on. Just fine, and added a bit of esthetically pleasing color contrast (mushy eggplant alone is not a pretty sight).
Ara
Betsy thought sauce too strong
aa
Too much garlic- use less maybe less dressing try grilling the eggplants
David S
I tried this recipe. Before preparing I read what BGE said about the eggplant & 'dressing' parts "not melding" & decided to marinate them together overnight. Excellent results.
Also before preparing I read what MichaelK said about the unwieldiness of peeling the eggplant post-steaming. Instead I used a regular carrot peeler to peel the eggplants before steaming. I then cut them up into 1" cubes. It worked out fine.
Enthusiastic thumbs up.
Kris Garcia
Like the idea in the comments about grilling the eggplant (fresh from the garden) skin and all, then chopping and combining with the dressing
Rich
Delicious. I roasted the eggplant (and used parchment paper rather than oiling them). I used them skin and all which is how I recall this as a Thai dish. I forgot to buy scallions, but didn't miss them. I added too much brown sugar by mistake--it was fine. I didn't wait until the end to add the chilis--I think this added some heat and depth.
Kerri
I was unsure if I would like this. I was worried about the sesame oil overpowering the eggplant. I can say this is a great salad. I roasted- instead of steamed- Japanese eggplant straight from my garden. I also carmelized some onions then chopped them up and added to the salad. The lime is a must and the garlic and ginger were perfect. I also mixed the green onion and cilantro into the eggplant. I did not need all the dressing. I added probably 3/4 of it. Let flavors meld. Delicious!
Irenepug
I saved a step and put the steamed eggplants in a blender along with all the rest of the ingredients. Also I eat low-carb, so I substituted 2 packets of Stevia for the brown sugar. The results were still delicious.
Elizabeth
Roasted eggplants in the oven instead of steaming before peeling, which worked fine. This recipe was delicious, and the serrano worth it. Three people finished all but a cup of the salad--for an eggplant loving group, double it.
Jo
Very tasty. Used skinny Asian eggplants but they still took closer to 20 min to steam. Made a very nice lunch on its own.
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