4.7 from 9 votes
Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant with Scallion Oil
Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant with Scallion Oil (Ca Tim Nuong Mo Hanh) is a rustic Southern dish. Whole eggplants are grilled until charred and served with fragrant scallion oil, fish sauce dressing and roasted peanuts.
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings:
3
people
Calories:
302 kcal
Course:
Appetizer
Cuisine:
Vietnamese
Ingredients
- 2 eggplant about 21 oz / 600g, asian variety
For the dressing/sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 - 1½ teaspoons lime juice
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 bird's-eye chili optional, seeds removed and minced
For the scallion oil
- 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil light olive oil or neutral-flavored oil, generic cooking oil
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup scallion about 6-8 stalks or 30g, thinly sliced, green parts only
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
To serve
- 1/4 cup peanut about 45g, roasted, lightly crushed
Instructions
- Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Use a toothpick or chopstick to poke a few holes around the eggplants. Place them on the grill and grill until the outside is charred and the inside is very soft and creamy, about 30-40 minutes. Rotate every 10 minutes for even charring.
- When the eggplants are almost ready (about 5 minutes to go), combine all ingredients to make the dressing in a bowl. Taste and adjust to your liking, it should be on the salty-sweet side.
- Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and wait until it is hot. Drop a piece of sliced scallion into the oil and if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. Add the remaining scallions together with the salt. Stir and cook for a few seconds until fragrant and scallions are soft.
- Transfer cooked eggplants to a clean cutting board and peel off the skin. Be careful since they can be very hot. You can slice the eggplants into bite-sized pieces or leave them whole and run a fork along them to separate the flesh into strips.
- Place eggplants on serving plates. Drizzle dressing, scallion oil and sprinkle roasted peanuts on top. Serve right away.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- You can watch the video near the beginning of the post to understand the cooking steps better.
- If you don't have a grill pan or an outdoor grill, you can roast the eggplants at 400F in the oven for 40-60 minutes or until very soft and tender.
- If you like to have extra dressing on the side, you can increase the quantity of dressing ingredients by 50%.
- If you want to make the dish more substantial to be a main dish, you can stir-fry some ground pork with minced shallot, garlic and fish sauce. The sautéed ground meat will then be an additional topping on the eggplants.
- If you want to make the dish vegan, eliminate the fish sauce. Use lime juice, salt and sugar to make the dressing.
Nutrition Information
Calories
302kcal
(15%)
Carbohydrates
28g
(9%)
Protein
7g
(14%)
Fat
21g
(32%)
Saturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
5g
(29%)
Monounsaturated Fat
12g
(60%)
Trans Fat
1g
(50%)
Sodium
584mg
(24%)
Potassium
964mg
(21%)
Fiber
12g
(48%)
Sugar
15g
(30%)
Vitamin A
631IU
(13%)
Vitamin C
38mg
(42%)
Calcium
71mg
(7%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 3 people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 302
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 302kcal | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 28g | 9% |
| Protein | 7g | 14% |
| Fat | 21g | 32% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 5g | 29% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Sodium | 584mg | 24% |
| Potassium | 964mg | 21% |
| Fiber | 12g | 48% |
| Sugar | 15g | 30% |
| Vitamin A | 631IU | 13% |
| Vitamin C | 38mg | 42% |
| Calcium | 71mg | 7% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.