I wanted to make a quick appetizer out of what I had in the fridge. So, I came up with this dish. Grilled whole eggplant is so easy to prepare and brings the nice smokiness to the dish. I tossed the eggplant with fermented black soy bean sauce and okra.
Ingredients
4-5 medium-size eggplant
some okra
1 tablespoon, thinly shredded ginger
thinly sliced scallion
ground white sesame seeds
la-yu (hot sesame oil)
(Sauce)
2/3 tablespoon fermented black beans
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sake
1/2 teaspoon Chicken powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Procedure
1. On a stove top grill over high heat, grill the eggplants (all sides) until the skin is charred and inside is soft. Transfer the eggplants to a cutting board.
2. Cut off the heads, and peel off the skins while the eggplants are still hot. Cut the peeled eggplants into bitable sizes.
3. Blanch the okra in boiling water for about 1 minute. Cut into small pieces.
4. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
5. In a bowl, combine the eggplant, okra, ginger and the sauce and toss.
6. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl. Garnish with the scallion, ground white sesame seeds, and la-yu.
