Savory and sweet, spicy and smoky, this delicious Vietnamese Eggplant is simple vegetable side dish to prepare on a Ninja Foodi grill, gas/charcoal grill or grill pan and goes well with simply roasted fish and chicken. It would be fabulous as party of an Asian vegetarian buffet including Grilled Bok Choy with Miso-Lime Dressing and Baked Teriyaki Tofu.
Living in a condo, I have missed grilled foods. The Ninja Foodi lets me grill all of my favorite vegetables and fish indoors, with no smoke and no heat. And clean-up is a breeze as every part easily snaps out and goes in the dishwasher.
I love the flavors of Vietnamese cuisine. It's all about fresh vegetables and herbs as well as the ubiquitous and delicious Nuoc Cham dipping sauce, loaded with fresh lime, garlic, fish sauce, sugar and chiles. This Vietnamese Eggplant brings all of those flavors to your table in less than half an hour. The perfect portion size is a half an eggplant per person, served as a side dish or starter. You can size the portions up or down in the recipe below.
Ingredients for Vietnamese Eggplant
Vietnamese Eggplant requires just 9 ingredients and delivers big taste!
- Chinese eggplants
- canola oil
- sugar
- white distilled vinegar
- fish sauce
- fresh lime juice
- garlic
- Fresno chile
- scallions
- sesame seed (can also use chopped peanuts if you prefer)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
With a sharp knife, cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. With the tip of the knife, score the flesh of each eggplant in a cross-hash pattern, taking care not to cut all the way through to the outside skin. Brush the tops and skins of the eggplants with the canola or olive oil.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar, fish sauce, white vinegar, lime juice, garlic and chiles until the sugar is dissolved.
With the grill grate installed, pre-heat the Ninja Foodi on the Grill setting. When the grill is ready for food to be added, place the eggplant halves, flesh-side down, on the grate. Close the hood and sent the cook time for 10 minutes. At the end of 5 minutes, open the hood and flip the eggplant halves so that the skin side is down. Close the hood again and cook for the remaining 5 minutes.
Equipment for Vietnamese Eggplant
Although this Vietnamese Eggplant on the Ninja Foodi grill can be cooked on a regular outdoor gas or charcoal grill or indoors on a grill pan on the stove, the Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro 7-in-1 Grill/Griddle makes the recipe particularly easy, especially if you live in a condo or it's wintertime in a cold place. You get all of the benefits of an outdoor grill with super fast and easy clean-up.
Top tip
This Vietnamese Eggplant on the Ninja Foodi grill really calls for Chinese or perhaps Japanese eggplant. American (Globe) eggplants can be more bitter and their larger size will result in dramatically different cooking times.
Vietnamese Eggplant on the Ninja Foodi Grill
Equipment
- 1 Ninja Foodi Grill optional
Ingredients
- 2 Chinese eggplants Japanese also acceptable
- 2 tablespoon canola or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce Red Boat is excellent
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced or put through a press
- 1 tablespoon Fresno or Thai birdseye red chiles minced
- 1 scallion thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 tablespoon white or black sesame seeds
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. With the tip of the knife, score the flesh of each eggplant in a cross-hash pattern, taking care not to cut all the way through to the outside skin. Brush the tops and skins of the eggplants with the canola or olive oil.
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar, fish sauce, white vinegar, lime juice, garlic and chiles until the sugar is dissolved.
- With the grill grate installed, pre-heat the Ninja Foodi on the Grill setting. When the grill is ready for food to be added, place the eggplant halves, flesh-side down, on the grate. Close the hood and sent the cook time for 10 minutes. At the end of 5 minutes, open the hood and flip the eggplant halves so that the skin side is down. Close the hood again and cook for the remaining 5 minutes.
- Remove the eggplant halves from the grill, place on a serving platter or individual plates and top evenly with the sauce. Garnish with the scallions and sesame seeds and serve.
Video
Notes
- Instead of using a NinjaFoodi grill, this recipe is equally wonderful using a grill pan on the stove on medium-high heat or on an outdoor charcoal, wood or gas grill. Grill both sides of the eggplant halves until soft with distinct grill marks, about 5 minutes on each side
- If you don't like heat, substitute red bell pepper for the Fresno or Thai bird's eye chiles.
- This recipe really calls for Chinese or perhaps Japanese eggplant. American (Globe) eggplants can be more bitter and their larger size will result in dramatically different cooking times.
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