Description
As soon as August comes, I start looking forward to getting young fresh eggplant from a “pick your own”near my home in France. They are grown in glasshouses and are quite hard to harvest since the stems have small spikes. Aubergines are often baked or grilled while drenched in oil, but instead of using a lot of oil, I prefer to steam the eggplant and then add flavorings to them. The umami paste from the Weekends chapter (see page 15) gives this dish a Japanese touch. The tart cucumber salad on the side is a good match.
Ingredients
Scale
or the eggplant
- 4 eggplant (halved)
- 1 tablespoon Umami Paste (see page 15)
- 1½ teaspoons maple syrup
- pinch of red pepper flakes or ground chile
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 scallions (thinly slice)
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds or Almond and Sesame Topping (see page 24)
for the cucumber salad
- 1 cucumber (sliced into ribbons)
- 1 small shallot (finely sliced)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon shoyu
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
to serve
- cooked grains or noodles
Instructions
- Preheat your broiler to the highest setting.
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil and set a steamer on top.
- Cut a crosshatch pattern on the cut face of the eggplant halves, but not so deep that you pierce the skin. Put the eggplant halves in the steamer, cover, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove from the steamer and, if necessary, set aside on some paper towels to drain any excess moisture.
- Meanwhile, make the cucumber salad. Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
- Mix the umami paste, 2½ tablespoons water, maple syrup, red pepper flakes, and ginger in a small bowl.
- Arrange the eggplant halves cut-side up on a baking sheet and brush the cut sides with the umami paste mixture. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown—keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
- Transfer the eggplant halves to a serving platter and sprinkle the scallions and sesame seeds or the topping over them. Serve with the cucumber salad and some cooked grains or noodles alongside