L. is not a fan of eggplant. He will eat Nasu no Dengaku (broiled Japanese eggplant with miso) because of the miso. If Baba Ganoush appears in front of him, he will eat it. Other than that, there has been a moratorium on eggplant in our household since the day he learned how to emote a categorical no.
I was sure that this dish would bring him around - tender Chinese eggplant dice steamed until they were silky, a vinaigrette redolent of Chinese Five Spice and with a slight tingle from Szechuan peppercorns - what's not to like? And I recommend using Chinese eggplant over regular globe ones here as they are less dense somehow and basically turn into a custard when steamed.
I think he is a lost cause. All he had to say was the the dish was prettily presented but that was all right because I scarfed the entire bowl of salad for 4 all by myself.
3 large Chinese eggplant, halved lengthwise and cut into bite sized pieces
2 scallions, finely chopped into thin rings
2 Tbsps rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp Chinese chili sauce
1/2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, crushed into a powder in a mortar and pestle
1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
Salt to taste
Place the eggplant pieces in one layer in a steamer. Steam for 10 minutes.
While the eggplant is steaming, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking all the other ingredients except for the scallions together. Check for seasoning - add more Five Spice if you like the taste, more peppercorns if you like more zing.
Add the steamed eggplant to the bowl containing the vinaigrette. Stir to combine and set aside for between 10 and 30 minutes so that the eggplant can absorb the flavors of the dressing.
Serve at room temperature, topped with chopped scallion.
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