Eggplant with Black Garlic-Tahini Sauce

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Summer may be over but I’m still happily working through the last of the warm weather produce. This buttery eggplant with a tangy, deeply garlicky, and creamy sauce is one my favorite eggplant dishes that I made this year.

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 4 peeled black garlic cloves 
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 red Fresno pepper chile, thinly sliced
  • 6 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 pounds Japanese eggplant (about 3 eggplant), roll-cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish
  1. Process 1/4 cup water, tahini, black garlic, mirin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Set tahini dressing aside.
  2. Stir together chile, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons vinegar, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.
  3. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a cast-iron skillet over high until a wisp of smoke rises from skillet. Add half of the eggplant to skillet; immediately stir to coat with oil. Cook, stirring often, until just tender and browned in spots, about 6 minutes. (Skillet will appear dry.) Transfer to a plate. Repeat process with remaining 3 tablespoons oil and remaining eggplant.
  4. Reduce heat to medium. Add cooked eggplant, chile mixture, and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until eggplant absorbs chile mixture, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Spread 1/2 cup tahini dressing on a platter. Top with eggplant mixture, and garnish with green onions.

Bulgogi Japchae

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What’s better than bulgogi or japchae? Bulgogi and japchae at the same time, of course. I’ve published a similar japchae recipe here before, but this one is different in that the seasonings are more like bulgogi and there’s the addition of spinach. Try both versions out and see which one your prefer.

Ingredients:

For the japchae:

  • Scant 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 8 ounces Korean sweet potato noodles
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch matchsticks
  • 1/2 to 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 3 green onions (green parts only), chopped into 3-inch pieces
  • 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 to 6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

For the bulgogi:

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound ribeye or sirloin steak, very thinly sliced
  • 1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil
  1. Make the bulgogi: in a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, honey, and garlic. Add the beef, onion, and sesame seeds and stir until all the beef is coated. Cover the bowl and marinate, refrigerated, 1 to 5 hours.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of the oil, then add half of the meat and onion mixture and cook, stirring occassionally, until the meat is cooked through and the onion has softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and meat and onion mixture. Set aside.
  3. Make the japchae: in a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil to blend. Set aside.
  4. Fill a medium bowl with an ice bath. Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the spinach to the boiling water, let cook for 15 seconds, then transfer the spinach to the ice water. (Keep the boiling water in the pot.) Let the spinach cool, then drain. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach, roughly chop the spinach, and set aside.
  5. Add the sweet potato noodles to the boiling water and cook until soft, about 5 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  6. Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil, then the carrot, bell pepper, green onion, yellow onion, mushrooms, and garlic, and stir to mix. Stir-fry until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and noodles and stir for about a minute, then add the soy sauce mixture and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients. Add the bulgogi and mix again until the meat is distributed. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Japchae can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated.)

Thai-Style “Sausage” Lettuce Wraps

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This dish is very (emphasis on very) loosely based on the herby, spicy sausages that are ubiquitous in northern Thailand. These were everywhere when I visited Chiang Mai years ago: in the markets, at our hotel, and street vendors. And they were delicious.

This lighter, humbler version is adapted for a weeknight meal at home but it nevertheless satiates my craving for northern Thai food. Sometimes a piece of lettuce, some rice, and a bit of meat is all you need.

Ingredients:

For the chili dip:

  • 2 shallots, unpeeled
  • 1 head of garlic, unpeeled
  • 4 Anaheim chiles
  • 1 serrano or Thai chile
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt, to taste

For the “sausages”:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 makrut lime leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • Butter lettuce or similar, thinly sliced daikon, and cooked sticky or jasmine rice, for serving
  1. Make the chili dip: heat the broiler. Broil shallots, garlic, and Anaheim and serrano chiles on a rimmed baking sheet, turning halfway through, until charred in most spots, 5-8 minutes.
  2. Peel shallots, garlic, and chile, then coarsely chop. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Mix in lime juice, cilantro, fish sauce, and sugar; season with salt.
  3. Make the “sausage”: Combine chicken, shallot, lime leaves, curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, sugar, and cilantro in a medium bowl; season with salt. Using your hands, mix well until chicken is sticking to itself and mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Using wet hands, form about 2 tablespoon-sized scoops of chicken mixture into 1-inch thick patties.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook patties until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
  5. Serve patties with chile dip, lettuce, daikon, and rice.

Soy-Butter Beef with Shishito Peppers

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This easy one-pan dish is all about capturing the last bit of summer before the season’s peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and stone fruit are gone for another year. Tossed with seared steak and a buttery umami-bomb sauce, these shishito peppers steal the show. Serve with rice for a super satisfying meal.

Ingredients:

For the beef:

  • 1 pound boneless New York strip steak or sirloin, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons avocado oil

For the sauce:

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
  • 6 green onions, white and pale green parts and dark green parts separated, sliced on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces
  • 12 ounces shishito peppers, stems removed, sliced in half on a diagonal
  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
  • Steamed rice, for serving
  1. Marinate the beef: Toss beef, cornstarch, soy sauce, and oil in a medium bowl until meat is evenly coated. Let sit at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill (no need to bring to room temperature before cooking).
  2. Make the sauce: Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, black pepper, and 2/3 cup water in a small bowl to combine; set sauce aside.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add half of beef in a single layer, separating clumps as much as possible. Cook, undisturbed, until deep golden brown underneath (meat will be pale on the other side), about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate, Repeat process with another 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef.
  4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same pan over medium-high. Cook white and pale green onion parts, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Add shishito peppers, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add beef and reserved sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add dark green onion parts and butter. Stir vigorously until butter is melted.
  5. Serve beef and shishito peppers alongside rice.

Okra Fries

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Six years ago, I tried the famed okra fries at Dishoom, London’s ode to Parsi cuisine. The entire meal was a revelation but it’s the okra fries that really stole my heart.

London may be eleven hours away from the Bay Area, but I bought the Dishoom cookbook so I can keep eating their okra fries on demand. Adapted from the cookbook, these okra fries make a salty-crunchy appetizer or side dish alongside any South Asian meal. Serve with tamarind chutney instead of ketchup, of course.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound okra, rinsed, patted dry, and trimmed
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • Avocado oil, for frying
  • 1/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
  • Tamarind chutney, to serve
  1. Slice okra in half lengthwise. Mix the garlic, ginger, chili powder, and four teaspoons water. Add the okra and mix well to coat thoroughly.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy, deep pan to medium-high.
  3. Mix the chickpea flour and cornstarch. Add the okra and toss gently to coat.
  4. Carefully shallow-fry the okra in the hot oil, in batches if necessary, until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle with chaat masala, and serve immediately alongside tamarind chutney.