When I went off to college with a microwave in hand, my mother taught me a few dishes that you can make in a microwave for a quick and delicious meal. One of those dishes was a ridiculously simple steamed eggplant topped with scallion oil and fried shallots and served with a salty and sweet chili sauce. Now that I am a busy working professional, this dish is even more useful for weeknight dinners. I usually eat this dish with rice and a side of salad. Next time you think that you are too tired to cook a healthy meal, try this no-cook version of steamed eggplant with scallion oil and fried shallots.

This recipe is rated easy and takes 15 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

2 Chinese eggplants

3 Scallions

1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic

a few Thai chili peppers

fish sauce

2 tablespoons of oil (olive or canola)

Handful of fried shallots or peanuts for a crunch

Salt

Sugar

Directions:

Diced the scallions and place into a microwavable bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix. Microwave for 40 seconds so that the scallion cook in the oil. Set aside.

Lightly cut into the eggplant (just pass the skin) lengthwise. Do a few of these incisions into the eggplant (approximately 6). Cut off the end of the eggplant and discard.

Soak the eggplant in water for a minute.

In a small bowl, mix 1/4 teaspoon of sugar with 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Rub all off the eggplant. Place in a microwavable plate.

Add 2 tablespoons of water to the plate.

Wrap the plate with plastic wrap and microwave for 4 minutes. The eggplant should be softened at this point.

Carefully remove the wrap and peel off some of the skin. You can skip this step if you like to eat all the skin.

Top the eggplant with the scallion oil and a handful of fried shallots.

In a small mixing bowl, incorporate the following ingredients to make a dipping sauce:

2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of water, 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of chopped Thai chili and 1/4 teaspoon of lime juice.

 

Enjoy this simple and healthy dish with rice.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang