Fire Roasted Eggplant with Garlic Vinegar Sauce

Method5 steps · about 25 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Roast the eggplant on a grill over high heat, or directly over a gas burner on medium-high. Turn with tongs about every 30 seconds to char all sides. You may place two eggplants on opposite sides of the burner at once. Cook until the skin darkens and the eggplant puffs then partly collapses; gently squeeze with tongs to confirm it is soft throughout. Transfer to a plate, let cool enough to handle, peel and discard the charred skin. A few small remaining flecks are fine.

   Uses 1 lb (450 g) Chinese long eggplant, or 2–3 small eggplants

2. 2

   Step 2: For eggplant served alone or with ready-steamed rice, whisk together the base sauce: 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar, 2 tbsp maple syrup or sugar, 1½ tbsp light soy sauce or soy sauce, 1 grated garlic clove and 1 tsp grated ginger. For the noodle option, add all five listed additional sauce supplies to the same bowl, making one doubled batch: 4 tbsp vinegar, 4 tbsp sweetener, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 grated garlic cloves and 2 tsp grated ginger. Choose one batch size. Add homemade chili oil to taste only if desired.

   Uses 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar · 2 tbsp maple syrup or sugar · 1½ tbsp light soy sauce or soy sauce · 1 garlic clove, grated · 1 tsp grated ginger · 2 tbsp additional Chinkiang vinegar, only if serving with noodles · 2 tbsp additional maple syrup or sugar, only if serving with noodles · 1½ tbsp additional light soy sauce or soy sauce, only if serving with noodles

3. 3

   Step 3: Optional noodle route: choose your serving amount of uncooked soba or other thin noodles, boil according to that package until cooked, then drain. Skip this stage if serving the eggplant alone or with already-steamed rice.

   Uses Soba noodles or other thin noodles, for serving (optional)

4. 4

   Step 4: For the noodle route, arrange the peeled roasted eggplant over the cooked, drained noodles; otherwise plate the eggplant on its own. Pour half of your chosen sauce batch over the eggplant.

   Uses peeled fire-roasted eggplant · cooked drained noodles, only for noodle route · half of chosen garlic-vinegar sauce batch

5. 5

   Step 5: Offer the remaining half of the sauce on the side and add only as much as desired. If choosing the rice accompaniment, serve with your preferred amount of already-steamed rice. Enjoy the eggplant warm or at room temperature, with or without the chosen accompaniment.

   Uses plated sauced eggplant, with noodles if chosen · remaining half of selected sauce batch, offered alongside · Ready-steamed rice, for serving (optional)