This delicious & simple recipe is done in the oven & ready for you to devour the second your timer goes off. Oven roasting eggplant is a great alternative if you don’t have a grill. If you happen to have a cast iron grill pan, by all means, pull that baby out & use it.
Vietnamese Roasted Eggplant
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
Roasted Eggplant
- 2 large eggplants, rinsed
- 3 sprigs scallions, roughly chopped
- 3 sprigs cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp fried shallots or crispy fried onions
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp loose leaf green tea (optional)
Fish Sauce (Can be made vegan)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup palm sugar or raw cane sugar
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce or Healthy Boy Brand Mushroom Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled & minced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 2 Thai chili, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F. Fill a cake pan (large enough to fit the eggplants) with 2 cups of water, leaving about an inch or two free. You can add loose leaf green tea in the water for extra aroma.
- In a small saucepan, combine all of the liquid ingredients & bring to a boil on high heat, stirring gently. Turn down the heat to medium-low once it reaches a boil. Add sugar, water, fish sauce/mushroom soy sauce, &/or salt to your liking. Add the garlic & chili once the sauce is to your liking, stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from heat & set aside.
- With a fork, poke each eggplant about 4-5 times. The holes do not have to be very deep. With a knife, score the eggplants lengthwise 3-4 times.
- Place the water-filled pan on the lowest rack in your oven. Place the eggplants above the cake pan on the top rack. If you’re using a castiron skillet, add about 1 Tbsp of canola or safflower oil to the pan & place the eggplants on the pan. Roast for about 15-20 minutes. Flip the eggplants over with tongs & continue to cook for 15-20 minutes.
- When the eggplants are finished roasting, carefully remove them with oven mitts or your tongs. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes & peel off the skin. Eggplants should be fairly mushy & soft.
- Plate the eggplants & create grooves with a fork. Sprinkle scallions, cilantro, & fried shallots onto eggplants. Top with fish sauce & enjoy!
Notes
- You can get fish sauce or the Healthy Boy Brand Mushroom Soy Sauce from an Asian grocer where it’s much cheaper than purchasing on Amazon.
- Serve with jasmine rice or rice vermicelli noodles
- Extra fish sauce should be bottled & saved for your next Vietnamese dish!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: Mains
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
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