Tag: eggplant
Peanut Eggplant Stir Fry
I have a rocky relationship with eggplants.. There are a few dishes I enjoy. I love baba ghanoush, bhurta and a few more. Overall, I stay away from this vegetable- which is not very good since it has a delicious flavor. I am not a big fan of the texture most of the time- but in dishes like bhurta, it works.
I was at our local farmer’s market in Maplewood shopping for fresh ingredients. It was there I saw the most beautiful looking small, long, purple and white eggplants. Considering I am not a big fan, I couldn’t help myself and picked them up promptly. I didn’t know what I was going to do with them but I knew it would have to be some kind of a stir fry. They looked so fresh and tender- I knew they would have to be the star and not a side kick. They sat in my fridge for a few days- actually I forgot I had them in there.
I was at my favorite grocery store- Trader Joes and was looking to replace some salad dressings in my fridge. I usually buy a pear gorgonzola that is delicious. They were out of it but had a new one- spicy peanut vinaigrette with cilantro- yum, I thought. I brought it home and put it away in the fridge.
I finally decided to make the eggplant and stir fried it with a little garlic and olive oil. I wanted to add a little more flavor to it and thought of the peanut dressing. I added a bit of that and it was perfect. Sweet, spicy and savory at the same time- perfect combination. I was also making a ground turkey and green bean stir fry (recipe coming up on Monday) so I decided to serve the eggplant dish on the side. It was a great accompaniment. I served yummy brown rice with the meal and it was healthy, quick and delicious!
- 1 pound small, thin light purple eggplants, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons spicy peanut vinaigrette (Trader Joes) or any peanut sauce will do
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute on medium heat. Add the eggplant pieces and sauté on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the peanut vinaigrette and salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes on medium heat and garnish with cilantro. Check for seasonings and serve.
Grilled Vegetables with Peanut Sauce
My daughter loves going to Thai restaurants. Her favorite thing to eat are the gyozas and chicken satay. She can really pack away a number of skewers- if I let her. What she doesn’t like is the peanut sauce- very strange! For me it’s the peanut sauce that is the interesting part- like the rest of Thai cuisine- it really assaults your palette. Sweet, salty, sour and spice happening at the same time. I think that is why I love the cuisine so much. I love anything that has the peanut sauce. I usually make a whole lot and keep in my fridge. It is very versatile- it is a great dipping sauce; it goes really well in cold noodles with shrimp and vegetables; it makes a delicious salad dressing- the sky is the limit! One of my favorite things to eat in the summer months is grilled vegetables. I like to grill all sorts of different veggies and serve them with different marinades. This particular one is my favorite way to eat them. The creamy peanut sauce goes really well with the smoky grilled vegetables. In this case I used red peppers, zucchini and a japanese eggplant. I loved the combination of all the veggies- the peppers bring a subtle sweetness; the zucchini is creamy and the eggplant is like a sponge- absorbing all the peanut goodness! I made this with the shrimp fried rice but the dish goes really well with burgers, hot dogs and steaks.
If your kids like peanut sauce, this dish is a great way to give them vegetables- especially if they are grilled- I feel grilling and roasting brings out the natural sweetness of everything. In our case, I gave Sia the vegetables without the peanut sauce- I think she is a bit strange- but then I can’t really complain, she is a very good eater and loves food!
Baba Ghanoush
While we were at Wilson Farms in Boston I did some grocery shopping. I bought these lovely looking Sicilian eggplants. I had never seen purple and white eggplants that looked like large tomatoes before and so I had to buy them- really not knowing what I would do with them.
I get obsessed with an ingredient and keep using it repeatedly. Dill is it this week. I still have some in my fridge left over from the potatoes I made last week. I felt I needed to use it in an eggplant dish. I thought of Caponata but wasn’t sure if I could use dill in it. I remembered an Indian dish called Baingan Bharta that is made out of grilled eggplant, onions and tomatoes,etc. I also thought of Baba Ghanoush– which is a middle eastern eggplant dip eaten with pita and vegetables. I decided to incorporate the two dishes and make my own. So I grilled the eggplants; cut up some onions and garlic and cooked them with olive oil and cumin seeds. I then processed everything together including tahini, cilantro and dill. We had a different kind of a dinner that night- more like the one you have on a summer night sitting out on your deck. I decided to serve a baguette with the eggplant spread. I needed a protein and of course chicken sausages came to mind. I bought some cilantro sausages and feta cheese. I made a green salad with some fresh herbs and that was it. I had forgotten how much I love feta cheese. The salty flavor went really well with the creamy spread. We had a cabernet with the extravaganza although in the summer I think I would wash the meal down with a crisp rose!
- 2 medium eggplants, about 1 pound- Sicilian Eggplants are recommended but any will do
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus some extra for coating the eggplant
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup dill, coarsely chopped
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pierce the eggplants in a few places with a fork, so steam has somewhere to go when you cook them.
Coat the eggplants with some olive oil and place on a grill, until the skins are wrinkled and black, and the eggplants are shriveled and soft; turning often. (Eggplants can be roasted in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes)
When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, split them open and scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin and as many seeds as possible. Keep aside.
In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion, garlic and cumin seeds. Cook on a medium heat for 5-6 minutes till the vegetables are soft.
In a food processor, combine the onion and garlic mixture, tahini, lemon juice, cilantro and dill; puree until smooth. Add the eggplant; season with salt and cayenne pepper, pulse again to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.