Grilled Japanese Eggplant With an Asian Vinaigrette

Submitted by Feast Your Eyes

"High in fiber and low in calories, grilled eggplant makes a great addition to your main meal. COOK'S TIP: For an alternative serving suggestion, marinate the eggplant overnight in the vinaigrette described below, grill until lightly brown, and serve on crusty rolls topped with Montrachet goat cheese slices - DELICIOUS!"

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 21
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• EGGPLANT

• 4 japenese eggplants
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups finely sliced Chinese cabbage
• 1⁄2 cup of fresh mint, coarsely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

• ASIAN VINAIGRETTE

• 1⁄3 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame paste
• 1⁄2 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon gingerroot, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 dash kosher salt
• 1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil

directions

1. Wash eggplants and pat dry with paper towels, set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl combine the Chinese 5-spice powder, onion powder, garlic salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
3. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, brush with olive oil and rub the mixed spices on both sides.
4. Grill over low heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until tender.
5. Arrange cabbage on serving plates and top with grilled eggplant; drizzle with the asian vinaigrette.
6. Top with the fresh mint, feta, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
7. Asian Vinaigrette:.
8. In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients except the vegetable and sesame oils. With the blender/processor running, slowly pour in the vegetalbe oil followed by the sesame oil. Process for 10 to 15 seconds longer. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (If necessary, whisk before serving.).
9. COOK'S TIP: Leftover vinaigrette makes for a tasty salad dressing or marinade for fish.

Reviews

[sunshine_momma]

We really enjoyed this recipe and paired it with potstickers to fill out our meal. It was a great way to use the Japanese eggplants from our garden. My mom, who is SUPER picky about ethnic food even raved about it!! Despite the large list of ingredients, it was very easy and fast to make... we actually had it finished long before the potstickers were ready. We couldn't find tahini/sesame paste at our local store, so we used an online recommendation to mix 2 tsp peanut butter and 1/4 tsp sesame oil as a sub. The cabbage actually suprised me by how tasting it turned out being topped by the eggplant and dressing... usually I don't like raw cabbage. My only complaint was that the eggplant skin remained a little tough... might have more to do with our gardening abilities than the recipe though haha. We will definitely be using this recipe again, thanks for posting it!