Lovely eggplants were one of the finds at the farmer’s market this week. As many of you probably know, eggplant is great at soaking up flavors. Teriyaki sauce has been on my mind recently, and I figured eggplant would be the perfect way to highlight it.
- 3 small globe eggplants (3/4 pound total), de-stemmed and sliced crosswise about 1/2 inch thick
- 1/3 cup gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 cup mirin (or sake or dry white wine)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, about 1 1/2 inches long, minced
- 2 small scallions or green onions, minced
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- Combine everything except the eggplants in a saucepan. Bring to a medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Sauce will thicken slightly. Remove from heat.
- Lay eggplant slices in a casserole dish. Cover with teriyaki sauce. Marinate for 1-2 hours, turning occasionally.
- Heat a large skillet or griddle pan over medium-high heat. Film the pan with oil. Lay eggplant steaks on pan and fry for a few minutes until lightly browned, flip and cook a few minutes more, then remove from heat and set aside. Repeat until all the eggplant has been cooked. Serve.
(Serves 4-6)
Mirin is a sweetened rice wine. If you can’t find mirin and substitute sake or white wine, add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the teriyaki while it’s cooking.
I spooned some of the marinade over the eggplant steaks while they were cooking and allowed it to cook down to make a glaze. It’s not necessary, but it will add extra flavor. The eggplant could also be grilled after it’s been marinated.
The pretty pinky-purple rice I had is Lundberg Wild Blend. Lundberg Farms grows numerous varieties of rice. I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve tried. I’ll admit that they can be kind of pricey for rice, but it’s worth it every now and then.
The eggplant worked well with the rice and spinach. I cut up my eggplant and mixed them all together into a salad.
This recipe is also being shared in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Wellness Weekends and Seasonal Sunday.
You know, I think this is the first eggplant recipe that’s ever tempted me! I feel like a crappy vegetarian sometimes for not really liking eggplant. :-) But this one looks great! Maybe I’ll try cooking eggplant for the first time!
You know what I’ve been wondering? We see all your new recipes, but I’m curious to know what recipes you have in heavy rotation. I have a few recipes that I love so much (grilled citrus tofu!) that I end up making them at least a few times a month. What are your favorites?
Ha, I can feel kind of the same way about eggplant. It’s easily made bitter and not very appetizing.
As far as what recipes we make over and over. For breakfast I love the Yeasted Waffles. They’re so light and airy. The Fried Eggs over Mushrooms and Onions also get made frequently. Sometimes I substitute spinach in for the mushrooms or use a combination of both.
As to other meals, we’ve been eating lots of the Lentil Salad for weeks now. I’m also partial to the Basil Butter Beans (the 4th recipe I posted!) and the Vegetarian Chicken Salad. We really like beans. Heh. In the colder months, the Tumeric Roasted Cauliflower is pretty common.
There’s also a couple base recipes I use, similar to the Asian Soup that I make endless variations of, but I haven’t shared them here yet. Maybe I’ll get them up here someday. What a fun question, thanks for asking!
I am loving this! I used to adore salmon teriyaki but this looks liek a wonderful way to try to approximate the flavours on a vege-friendly menu. I usually add sake (and mirin) to my teriyaki marinade, but your version looks good too. Thanks for sharing! :)
The eggplant steaks look amazing.. never tried teriyaki eggplants so these go to my must try list for sure!
Janet: I saw many recipes that called for a mix of sake and mirin. I figured it’d be easier for folks to try and find one “unusual” ingredient instead of two.
Richa: It was my first try too. (Well, I made a couple versions to make sure I had it right.) As I said above, I’m kind of iffy about cooking eggplant, but I really liked how these came out.
Hi There Kalinda,
Just a note to let you know I shared your awesome dinner/main dish inspired recipe on my monthly recipe round-up. If you get a chance, come on over and check out the other dinner ideas ranging from meat-based to vegan.
http://www.thetastyalternative.com/2012/03/monthly-round-up-march-2012.html
Dinner is served ya’ll!
Hugs,
–Amber
These look fantastic Kalinda! I’m not a great fan of eggplant but this recipe may well tempt me to buy some!
I’m a vegetarian wheat-free person and so happy to find this website! I’m going to try cooking these tonight for my friend who is a chef, so I hope they go well… I’m sure they’ll be yummy, they look so good!