Vietnamese Style Eggplant

Vietnamese Style Eggplant
Serves 4

Vegetable oil, such as grapeseed
2 medium to large Chinese or Japanese eggplant
2 small bell peppers (red, green or yellow), diced small
¼ cup salted, roasted peanuts, chopped
Handful Thai basil leaves, thinly sliced
Small handful mint leaves, chopped
Nuoc Cham (see related recipe)

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees if grilling indoors with a grill pan.

Pre-heat a grill pan (or outdoor grill) over high heat and drizzle with vegetable oil. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Season with salt and lay in the grill pan or on the grill grates cut side down. Grill until grill marks appear, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the pieces over and grill the other side. If grilling outdoors on a grill, close the lid and continue cooking until the pieces are tender all the way through and lightly charred in spots. If using an indoor grill pan, place the eggplant pieces in the oven (you may need to transfer them to a baking pan if your grill pan is not oven safe). Roast until the eggplant is tender, about 5-10 minutes.

Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over high heat and drizzle in enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the peppers and stir-fry until tender but still slightly crisp, about 2 minutes.

Place the eggplant on a platter and spoon the peppers over top. Drizzle with nuoc cham and garnish with peanuts, mint and Thai basil. Pass with more nuoc cham.



Nuoc Cham: Dipping Sauce
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

5 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup fresh squeezed limejuice
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed, minced or sliced
1 or more Thai chilies, seeded and minced, crushed, or sliced
1 shallot, peeled and sliced thinly (optional)

Whisk together the sugar, water, fish sauce, and lime juice in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the garlic, chili and shallot if using and let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Can be stored in a jar, covered and refrigerated for up to one week.