This asian roasted eggplant recipe is so easy and makes an amazing dish. In just a few steps you have a delicious dinner ready to serve with rice. Top it with grilled tofu or eggs to your taste.
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Roasted Eggplant Recipe (Asian Style)
Oven roasted eggplant is simply a magical solution to cook large quantities of a side or main meal with this wonderful vegetable. The added bonus is that you dont have to sit around and baby sit the eggplant as it roasts to tender perfection.
I shared a delicious Asian style cucumber salad that was well received. And why not, it is easy, flavorful and versatile. As I mention there, that recipe was inspired by a visit to our Japanese friend.
Once again, the same friend gave me some tips about creating an easy and delicious Asian roasted eggplant recipe. And as I always do, I played around with the idea and created this incredibly delicious eggplant dish.
This oven roasted eggplant is creamy and fork tender, thanks to the steps I follow. It is a fail proof approach and I share the tips for doing it, later in the blog post. You will never need to or want to fry eggplants again!
Ingredients You Will Need
- Eggplant: You can use globe/American, Italian or Japanese eggplant varieties. Choose fresh, firm, medium size eggplant that is heavy for its size and with a smooth, shiny and vibrant purple skin. Make sure that the stem is still green.
- Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil works the best as it has an intense flavor.
- Sesame Seeds: Adds more flavor and texture.
- Ginger and Garlic: Use fresh organic ginger for the best flavor. Add garlic if you like.
- Red Pepper Flakes: It adds a hint of pungency. Use mild or hot pepper flakes as per your taste.
- Paprika: Adds a vibrant color. Smoked paprika is not typical for Asian recipes, but I loved using it with this roasted eggplant.
- Soy Sauce: This adds umami flavor and it is awesome with eggplant.
- Vinegar: I prefer to use rice vinegar, but you can also try any white vinegar that is not intensely flavored.
- Herbs: I use fresh cilantro and green onions. You can substitute chives or shallots for green onions.
- Maple Syrup, Salt: To season and balance the flavors.
How to Make Asian Eggplant
Brief overview below. *Full recipe at the end of blog post.
- Roast Eggplant: Slice and prep eggplant. Brush slices with oil and roast in oven.
- Make Dressing: Heat oil and toast sesame seeds. Stir in ginger and garlic. Add pepper flakes, paprika and steep. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce and maple syrup.
- Toss & Combine: Add roasted eggplant, herbs and toss everything together.
Top Tips
- Follow the steps for roasting the eggplant carefully. If you do that right, you will pretty much ensure success with this recipe.
- The roasted eggplant should be soft, creamy and fork tender.
A Better Way to Roast Eggplant
Frying eggplants produces amazingly creamy eggplant but also involves a lot of oil absorption. I have always roasted eggplant in the oven with great results, as we did it with this Moroccan eggplant salad.
The resulting oven-roasted eggplant is incredibly soft, creamy and tasty. You just need to make sure to follow all the steps.
Salting the eggplants on both sides and pressing it between paper towels helps with squeezing out the excess moisture and bitter juices if any.
Once the eggplant is prepared this way, covering the eggplant slices with a generous application of oil and the subsequent roasting at a high temperature does the trick.
How To Serve It
- Side Dish: Serve it as a simple side dish.
- With Rice: This is best with some steamed rice. I served it with brown rice and topped it with soft boiled eggs. You could also top it with grilled tofu or tuna.
- Wraps: Make some wraps with roasted eggplant as the filling. Add scrambled tofu or eggs. Use a creamy tahini or yogurt dressing.
Make Ahead
Roast the eggplant ahead. Make the dressing in large quantities and store in refrigerator for a quick and handy dressing.
Storage and Leftovers
This dish keeps well in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 days. Freeze it in freezer-safe containers.
Variations
This roasted eggplant is low carb, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, egg free, dairy free, nut free, and grain free.
- Soy Free: Skip the soy sauce.
- Low Sodium: Use low sodium soy sauce. Lower that and salt even further, and increase the spices and herbs as per taste.
What To Serve Along
Some ideas for what to serve with this delicious Asian roasted eggplant.
- With Rice: Lentil Rice, Dill Rice without the meat.
- With Meats/Chicken:
Recipe FAQs
It depends on how you cut the eggplant and also the oven temperature. You can roast it at 400 to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically you may need to roast it about 25 to 35 minutes. Start checking at 20 minutes and adjust the time.
If eggplant is roasted at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit and the skin is not too thick and not from over-mature eggplants, then you should be able to roast it with skin. In fact, the skin of eggplants has some beneficial phytochemicals. Some recipes may need peeling of the skin. You can also opt to peel some of the skin away in stripes.
Salt the eggplant slices on both sides and place them between layers of paper towels and press them down by placing a baking sheet with a heavy weight on top. Any bitter juices should be drained with this method. Then proceed with applying oil and roasting.
Nutrition Facts
This roasted Asian eggplant is very healthy, filling and flavorful. Checkout the serving suggestions above to add this to your diet.
Eggplants are high in fiber and low in calories and carbohydrates. So they are great for those on low carb diets. This vegetable is a good source of potassium, manganese, folic acid and phytochemicals. The purple skin of eggplants is also a rich source of anthocyanins with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
More Roasted Vegetable Recipes
- Easy Aloo Gobi (Oven Roasted Cauliflower Potatoes)
- Spicy Oven Roasted Okra
- Spice Roasted Butternut Squash
- Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Roasted Eggplant Recipe (Asian Style)
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant Italian, Japanese or globe variety, medium size
- ¼ teaspoon salt some will be wiped out
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil divided
- 1 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- 1 tablespoon ginger peeled and minced
- 2 cloves garlic grated, optional
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes mild or chopped red chili pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika try smoked paprika, optional
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium, adjust per taste
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- Salt adjust per soy sauce
Garnish
- finely chopped herbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash the eggplant, wipe it dry and cut it into ¾ inch slices. Line a baking sheet with paper towels, arrange eggplant slices and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt on both sides, flipping in between. Cover with paper towels and place another baking sheet with a weight (heavy objects) on top. And set this aside for an hour.
- Remove the weight. Pat dry eggplant with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Brush the slices evenly with about 2 tablespoons oil. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake until fork tender for about 30 to 35 minutes (time may vary with oven). Check at 20 minutes and adjust time. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a saute pan, heat remaining oil at medium high. Add sesame seeds and toast lightly. Then add ginger, garlic and stir. Add red pepper flakes and paprika. Turn off the heat and let the spices steep in oil for 2 minutes, until they release some color. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar and maple syrup.
- Add roasted eggplant, green onions, cilantro and toss well to coat. Plate the Asian roasted eggplant on a serving dish. Garnish with finely chopped herbs. Serve with steamed rice.
Notes
- Eggplant: Choose fresh, firm, medium size eggplant that is heavy for its size and with a smooth, shiny and vibrant purple skin. Make sure that the stem is still green. Eggplant can also be grilled or broiled about five minutes each side, brushing oil on both sides.
- Green Onions: Substitutes are chives or chopped shallots.
- Salt: Adjust it as per the amount of soy sauce used.
- Make Ahead: Roast the eggplant ahead. Make the dressing in large quantities and refrigerate for a quick and handy dressing.
- Storage and Leftovers: This dish keeps well in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 days. Freeze it in freezer-safe containers.
- Stove Top Instructions
- In a large pan over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and eggplant. Stir fry until both sides are golden brown and center is fork tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer eggplant to a plate.
- Meanwhile, add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan on stove. Add sesame seeds and toast. Then add ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, paprika and cook for a minute.
- Add the roasted eggplant, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, herbs, salt and toss. Stir and cook until all the vegetables are coated well, about one minute.
- Turn off the heat and serve with rice.
- Nutrition Facts: The value for sodium is approximate.
- For more information on ingredients, variations, FAQs and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.
Sonia
I added a bit extra sugar and a fried egg on top but this was a hit.