Roasted Eggplant with Chiles, Peanuts and Mint
Love this very different side dish... it's unexpectedly delicious!
Servings: 6 servings (as a side dish)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted peanuts
- 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon peanut oil
- kosher salt
- 4 medium Japanese or Chinese eggplants (the skinny type)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 12 medium fresh mint leaves, coarsely torn (about 3 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 425°F.
- Scatter peanuts in a pie plate and toss them with 1 teaspoon oil and a generous pinch of salt. Roast, shaking pan once or twice, until peanuts are a golden brown (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool and then coarsely chop them up.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375℉.
- Rinse the eggplant. Trim off tops and then cut eggplant in half lengthwise. In a large shallow pan, toss eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the oil and the red pepper flakes. Put eggplant cut-side-up on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast until eggplant is tender when pierced with a fork and the flesh has turned a light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
- While eggplant is roasting, whisk 3 tablespoons oil with lime juice, honey and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Season to taste with more salt, if necessary.
- With the eggplant still on the center rack, turn the broiler on high and broil the eggplant until well-browned on top, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer eggplant to a serving platter. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with mint and peanuts. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 405mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 147IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg