brinjal salad
Brinjal salad
Serves 4
Eggplant, aubergine, melanzana, brinjal are all different names for one vegetable that also comes in different shapes and colours. The long purple or green ones are most commonly found in Singapore, and the large, bulbous, dark purple ones from Australia and the US. From Thailand come small green, pea-shaped ones, and small, round, white or green ones.
Look for a firm eggplant with a smooth, shiny skin and no puncture marks.
Any left-over eggplant from this recipe can be kept to make a quick bruschetta
by rubbing a cut raw garlic on a slice of toasted French loaf and piling the
eggplant on it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and black pepper.
*
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion (about 100g), finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 long purple eggplants (about 600g), cubed
50g sultanas
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
3 stalks chives, snipped into 1cm lengths
50g roasted pumpkin seeds
1 iceberg lettuce, quartered lengthwise
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly milled black pepper
1 lemon, quartered
8 slices walnut bread
First
1. Heat pan. Add oil, onion and garlic. Cook over moderate heat until transparent.
Add eggplant and sultanas, toss well. Add 1 cup of water and cook, keeping
covered, over moderate heat until eggplant is soft and the water has evaporated.
(10 minutes).
Second
Add balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for another
5 minutes. Add chives, stir, put aside.
Third
Place a quarter of lettuce on each plate and a scoop of eggplant mixture over
it. Over this, scatter pumpkin seeds, mill black pepper and drizzle extra
virgin olive oil. Serve with lemon wedge and warm, lightly toasted walnut
bread.