By: Chef Laura Bonicelli
Make this flavorful and colorful Roasted Eggplant Thai Salad with Purple Jasmine Rice for lunch this weekend! Buy your ingredients at your favorite Farmers Market!
About Roasted Eggplant Thai Salad
I have conducted an informal poll over the last few years. After analyzing all of the data (informally), I have concluded that the most disliked vegetable within my business scope is eggplant. However, I have found that most people who dislike it haven’t given eggplant much chance. Some of them haven’t tried it at all. But, those who have either don’t care for its texture or ate improperly cooked eggplant. Raw eggplant is ghastly and undercooked eggplant isn’t much better.
putting it together
My Roasted Eggplant Tha Salad recipe begins with salting the eggplant and letting it sit for 45 minutes. There’s controversy about salting eggplant before cooking, partially because it started as a technique to remove bitterness years ago. But much of that bitterness is bread out of eggplant today, so there’s no need for that. But I salt my eggplant for a different reason. It draws the moisture out of the eggplant, which stops the eggplant from absorbing oil like a thirsty sponge. Therefore, the eggplant roasts more evenly without having to add additional oil. I’m not using a tremendous amount of salt, so there’s no need to rinse it off.
The herbs are that fantastic combo of mint, cilantro, and Italian parsley in the Roasted Eggplant Thai Salad. Toss the roasted eggplant with those and a little tomato, and you’re ready for the dressing. Lime juice and fish sauce are the base of the dressing. Use your favorite hot pepper; for me, that’s usually a serrano. I add a little sugar to sweeten it slightly, balance the acidity, and then just a little olive oil to round the dressing out and help it cling to the ingredients.
If you can’t find purple jasmine rice for the Roasted Eggplant Thai Salad, white jasmine, or black rice, make a suitable substitution.
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Need some more ideas? Try these:
Thai Sea Scallops with Coconut Cream Sauce
Spring Rolls with Three Dipping Sauces
Step by Step Instructions
Roasted Eggplant Thai Salad with Purple Jasmine Rice
Ingredients
=====eggplant mixture=====
- 1 1/2 pounds Japanese or small eggplant -- cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
=====
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
=====
- 1 1/2 cups chopped plum or cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
=====dressing======
- 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 Teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 hot chili such as banana, serrano, or jalapeńo -- seeded and minced
=====
- 2 cups cooked purple jasmine or black rice
Instructions
=====eggplant mixture=====
- Toss the cubed eggplant with salt and set aside for 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425º F. Toss the eggplant with olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast the eggplant in the oven for 20 minutes, stir and roast for an additional 10 minutes until the eggplant is browning and soft. Put the eggplant in a bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and cool. When cool, toss with herbs and tomato.
=====dressing=====
- In a small bowl, mix the lime juice, fish sauce, olive oil, sugar, chili, and toss with the eggplant mixture, reserve some dressing for serving on the side. Allow to sit for 30 minutes; adjust seasoning.
- Serve the eggplant mixture over the hot rice. This recipe is also delicious cold.
Nutrition
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