Description
This flavorful Thai Grilled Eggplant Salad is simple, light, and refreshing with a tangy, umami dressing made from fresh lime juice and fish sauce. Healthy and tasty, this Thai Salad comes together in 35 minutes! (Vegan-adaptable) Serve it with jasmine rice and make it a meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 pound Japanese eggplant (2-3 long purple eggplan)
- Oil for brushing or spraying eggplant
- 1/2 cup red onion, very finely sliced (or sub 1 shallot)
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 tablespoon jalapeño, finely diced, more or less as preferred
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup green onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, leaves torn
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, lightly crushed (optional, sub cashews)
- 1–2 tablespoons of fish sauce, start with one, add more to taste
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, start with one, add more to taste
- Salt and white or black pepper, to taste
Serve with boiled eggs ( optional, traditional) and jasmine rice.
Instructions
- Slice the eggplants in half and brush both sides very lightly with oil. If eggplant is thick, then slice. Grill on high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side- or until the desired doneness. Let cool while preparing the salad.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to a large mixing bowl, including the fish sauce and lime juice. Mix well.
- Slice the eggplant into long strips, 3-4 inches long. You can peel some of the skin off the eggplants or leave them on. I left mine on.
- Add the grilled eggplant to the salad bowl, and mix. Taste and adjust with more lime juice, fish sauce, jalapeno, salt, or white pepper for extra flavor.
- Garnish with boiled eggs and serve with jasmine rice, or enjoy it by itself as a salad or side dish.
Notes
- Use a slight amount of oil to brush on the eggplant before grilling. Use a timer to cook the eggplants on high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.
- The salad is best eaten fresh and not recommended for leftovers as the vegetables and herbs will get too mushy and lose their texture and taste.
- The traditional salad is served with boiled eggs. You can have it soft or hard-boiled, and this is purely optional.
- If using globe eggplant, or big eggplant, slice into 3/4 inch slices, grill until translucent.
- TIP: Get good grill marks, stack eggplant in a baking dish or bowl, cover with foil, to allow steam to cook them all the way through, until translucent.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 257
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 719.3 mg
- Fat: 16.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.3 g
- Fiber: 10.2 g
- Protein: 8.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg