Thai-Style Grilled Eggplant

Eggplants with dressing

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Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Yield: 1 eggplant

Eggplant is delicious on the grill, and this recipe makes it even better with the use of a Thai-inspired marinade. Grilling is an age-old tradition in Thailand, with amazing marinade concoctions that make for taste-inspiring meals -- and this eggplant is no exception. Eggplant is a "meaty" vegetable; that is, it makes a great meat substitute and vegetarian Thai chefs love to use it in their cooking. You'll enjoy its sweet-spicy flavor -- makes a superb side dish to any meal you might be cooking.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

  • 3 teaspoons brown sugar

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 red chili, fresh, minced, or 1/4 teaspoon or more crushed chili flakes, to taste

  • 1 eggplant, small or the equivalent of 2 cups stacked slices

  • 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Stir together the hoisin sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and chili.

  3. Slice up the eggplant into 1/4 inch-thick rounds and set in a bowl.

  4. Slather the marinade over and toss well to coat.

  5. Warm up your grill and brush with the oil.

  6. Set marinated eggplant over a hot grill. When nice grill marks appear, flip them and brush tops with any leftover marinade. Keep grilling until eggplant is soft when pierced with a fork.

  7. Serve hot from the grill as is, or dress it up with a little fresh basil, either as a side dish or the star player (see tips below for how to make this into a complete vegetarian/vegan meal).

Tips

To make this dish your main course:

  • Double the marinade (hoisin, brown sugar, garlic, and chili) and add wedges of medium-firm to firm tofu sliced 1/4-inch.
  • Toss eggplant and tofu together in the marinade. Allow a little longer time to marinate (20 minutes) or leave in the refrigerator to marinate longer, up to 1 hour.
  • Grill and serve with Thai jasmine rice for a complete meal. Note that Thai sticky rice is also wonderful with this meal.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
77 Calories
2g Fat
14g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 77
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 196mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 17mg 87%
Calcium 16mg 1%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 129mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)