Grilled Japanese Eggplant With Scallions And Ginger Food

GRILLED JAPANESE EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a large shallow baking dish. Mix together the soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the eggplant and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat grill. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper to taste and grill on each side for 3 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining marinade. Serve topped with the toasted sesame seeds.

HOISIN EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Halve 3 Japanese eggplants lengthwise; brush all over with olive oil and season with salt. Grill 5 to 7 minutes per side, brushing with a mixture of 1/2 cup hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 to 2 teaspoons hot chili sauce. Top with chopped cilantro and sliced scallions.

JAPANESE EGGPLANT WITH SICHUAN PEPPER

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant into 1 to 2-inch segments, depending on the width of the eggplant. Set up a steamer on the stovetop. Season the segments with salt. Place the eggplant in the steamer in a single layer and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Cool on paper towels.
• For the vinaigrette, trim the garlic cloves and mash gently with the side of your knife, then finely chop the garlic. Peel and chop the ginger root.
• Trim and slice the scallion on a bias. Save the white part for the vinaigrette and the green part for a finishing garnish. Keep the greens fresh by covering them with a moist, cool paper towel. Chop the cilantro.
• To assemble the vinaigrette, put the three oils and the Sichuan peppercorns in a small pot set over low heat. Heat until sizzling, then strain out the peppercorns. Discard the peppercorns and put the oil back into the pot. Add the garlic and ginger and heat until sizzling but not browned. Add the scallion whites and Sichuan bean paste and stir. Add the black vinegar, soy, mirin, wine, sugar, sesame seeds and cilantro and bring to a boil.
• Transfer the vinaigrette to a bowl and cool. Put the eggplant in a serving dish and season with the cooled sauce (depending on eggplant size, you may not need all the sauce-the sauce keeps for a week refrigerated) and sprinkle with the scallion greens. Finish with freshly ground black pepper, if you'd like a little more peppercorn flavor.

GOCHUJANG-GLAZED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Halve 4 to 5 Japanese eggplants lengthwise and crosswise. Brush with vegetable oil. Place flesh-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet; bake at 400˚ F until tender, 15 minutes. Whisk 2 tablespoons each soy sauce, gochujang and honey, 1 teaspoon each toasted sesame oil and minced garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Brush glaze on the eggplants; broil until charred, 4 minutes. Brush with the remaining glaze; top with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

MISO GLAZED GRILLED JAPANESE EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat a charcoal grill or kamado-style ceramic charcoal cooker for direct grilling over high heat.
• Whisk together the miso, mirin, sugar and 2 tablespoons water until combined.
• Brush the cut-side of the eggplant with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant, cut-side down, until lightly golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the eggplant over, brush with some of the glaze and continue grilling for 2 more minutes. Brush with more glaze, flip over and grill until the cut-side is caramelized, about 4 minutes. Remove to a platter, cut-side up, and sprinkle with mint.

WW 2 POINTS - JAPANESE GRILLED EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Steps:

• Preheat outdoor grill, stove-top grill pan or broiler.
• Coat eggplant with cooking spray. (Note: If you can't find any Japanese eggplants, buy regular eggplants that are small in size.).
• Grill or broil eggplant turning as needed until lightly charred and tender, about 7 to 9 minutes.
• Whisk soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, ginger and garlic in a small bowl until blended.
• Drizzle over grilled eggplant and sprinkle with scallions.
• 2 points per serving - Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

GOCHUJANG-GLAZED EGGPLANT WITH FRIED SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Place the eggplant in a colander set inside a large bowl or the sink. Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
• To a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil and the white parts of the scallions. Turn the heat to medium and fry the scallions, stirring often, until crispy and evenly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried scallions onto a paper towel.
• Reserve a small handful of raw scallion greens for garnish, then fry the remaining scallion greens in the oil until crispy and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer fried scallion greens onto a paper towel.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully pour the hot scallion oil into a glass container or measuring cup.
• After the 30 minutes of salting, dry the eggplant segments with a paper towel. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved scallion oil.
• When the oil starts to shimmer and you see a wisp of smoke, add half the eggplant, cut sides down, and fry until browned and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once and cook another minute on the other side. Transfer to a plate, add 2 more tablespoons of scallion oil back to the pan, and repeat to fry the second batch of eggplants. (If you are lucky enough to have any scallion oil left, use it to fry eggs or to dress a salad.)
• Finally, sauce the eggplants: Add the first batch of eggplants back to the pan alongside the second batch. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the reserved gochujang sauce over the eggplants. Toss until evenly coated and the gochujang starts to caramelize, about 1 minute.
• Plate the eggplants on a large platter and garnish with the fried scallions and the reserved raw scallion greens. Serve immediately. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This dish tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge, or at room temperature.)

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH SEARED SCALLION

Steps:

• To expose each eggplant fully to the heat, peel off the pointy flaps of the cap but leave the stem attached. Use a fork to poke 6 to 8 sets of holes into each eggplant to prevent it from exploding while cooking (skip this step if you are oven roasting).
• To cook the eggplants on a grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire (you can hold your hand over the rack for only 2 to 3 seconds) or preheat a gas grill to high. Grill the eggplants, turning frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the skin is black and dry and the flesh is soft. To cook the eggplants on a gas stove top, turn on the burner to high and place the eggplants, one at a time, directly on the burner grate. Cook the eggplant, rotating it often, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it has sagged and is pleasantly smoky and charred. Run the exhaust fan during cooking to avoid filling your kitchen with smoke. If the eggplant isn't sufficiently soft in the middle, finish it off in a preheated 450°F oven. To oven roast the eggplants, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Split each eggplant in half lengthwise and place, cut side down, on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the eggplant halves are soft and oozing a bit of juice.
• When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, remove the skin. (The eggplants may be cooked and peeled several hours in advance of serving, covered, and kept at room temperature.) Cut the flesh crosswise into 2-inch sections. Use your fingers to separate the flesh into strips, placing them in a lovely pile on a serving plate. If the strips weep lots of liquid, pour it off the plate. Top with a mound of scallions.
• In a butter warmer or small saucepan, heat the oil until it starts to smoke. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the oil over the scallions. The scallions will sizzle as they sear from the hot oil. Serve at once with the dipping sauce.

WW 0 POINTS JAPANESE GRILLED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat outdoor grill or broiler.
• Coat eggplant with cooking spray.
• Grill or broil eggplant, turning as needed, until lightly charred and tender (about 7-9 minutes).
• Whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, ginger, and garlic in small bowl until well blended.
• Drizzle over grilled eggplant and then sprinkle with scallions.
• Points/yield figured on 3/4 cup per serving.