Cold Steamed Eggplant With Sesame Soy Dressing Recipes

COLD EGGPLANT SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• Trim eggplant, and cut into cubes of 1/2 to 1 inch. If using large eggplant, sprinkle with salt, put in a colander, and let sit at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. Rinse.
• Boil large pot of water. Blanch eggplant in boiling water 2 minutes, no more. It will become just tender. Drain in colander as you would pasta.
• Toast sesame seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking frequently until they color slightly. Dry eggplant with paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients, and toss with eggplant and sesame seeds in bowl. Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Covered well, the salad will remain flavorful for a day.

STEAMED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Quarter 2 pounds Japanese eggplants lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces; season with salt. In two batches, cook the eggplants in a steamer over medium-high heat, tossing halfway, until softened, 6 minutes. Let cool on paper towels. Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons each sesame oil and minced garlic, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon gochugaru and 1 teaspoon rice vinegar in a large bowl. Toss the eggplants in the sauce; top with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

SPICY EGGPLANT SALAD WITH SESAME OIL

Steps:

• Cook the eggplants in a covered steamer over rapidly boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then peel. Put the flesh in a fine meshed strainer to drain excess liquid.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, salt and sugar. Add garlic, ginger, sesame oil, vegetable oil and hot pepper oil, if using.
• Put drained eggplants in a bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the eggplants a bit, then pour dressing over and toss, coating well. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning.
• Just before serving, stir in chopped cilantro. Pile eggplants on a platter and sprinkle with scallions. Garnish with serrano chile, if using, and cilantro sprigs.

STEAMED EGGPLANT WITH SESAME SOY SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim off the stem end of the eggplants. Cut them crosswise into pieces about 2 inches in length.
• Place the eggplant slices onto a steamer rack and steam over medium-high heat for 6-10 minutes, or until they are cooked to your liking.
• While the eggplants are steaming, make the sauce by combining soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, ground dried chillies, garlic, ginger and sugar.
• Stir well to blend flavors.
• Remove the eggplants from the steamer and slice each piece in half lengthwise and each half again into 2-3 long strips. Arrange the pieces in a single layer on a serving plate. Spoon the sesame-soy sauce evenly over the eggplant pieces, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. You can also garnish with green coriander/cilantro.