Charred Eggplant With Umami Sauce [Vegan]

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Charred eggplant with umami sauce and toasted garlic quinoa – a fantastic, warm salad bursting with complex contrasting flavors and textures. It’s such a simple dish, yet bursting with complex flavors, ranging from sour, salty, smokey, garlicky, earthy, and cheesy.

Charred Eggplant With Umami Sauce [Vegan]

Calories

419

Serves

4

Cook Time

60

Ingredients

To Make the Umami Sauce:

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white truffle oil (or, replace with regular olive oil)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

To Make the Toasted Garlicky Quinoa:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa (see notes)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed

To Make the Salad:

• 3 Japanese eggplants
• 1/2 cup umami sauce
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

To Make the Eggplant:

1. Cut the eggplant in 1/2-inch thick slices.
2.  Sprinkle with salt, and leave in a colander to release its bitter juices, for 30 minutes.
3. Rinse and dry the eggplant, brush liberally with the olive oil, and salt.
4. Heat a bbq grill on high.
5. Grill the eggplant pieces for 2-3 minutes per side, or until nicely charred, and soft.

To Make the Quinoa:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and add the cooked quinoa to the pan.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook without too much stirring, until the quinoa gets toasty, and nicely colored.
3. Add the smashed garlic in the end, and cook some more.  If needed, add more oil.

To Make the Umami Sauce:

1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except the oil, then slowly drizzle both the olive and truffle oils, while whisking, until it’s fully incorporated and emulsified.

To Assemble the Salad:

1. Spread some of the toasted quinoa on the bottom of your plate.
2. Arrange the eggplant pieces on top, and drizzle with half of the dressing, sprinkle with the parsley, and the sesame seeds.

Nutrional Information

Per Serving: Calories: 419 | Carbs: 36 g | Fat: 30 g | Protein: 11 g | Sodium: 176 mg | Sugar: 10 g

Notes

To cook quinoa, bring 1 part dry quinoa, and 2 parts water to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and simmer for 20 minutes, covered, until the liquid is absorbed.

The eggplant can be roasted in the oven, or grilled on the bbq for a deeper, charred flavor.
If you have a leftover cooked quinoa, you can simply toast it with some olive oil and mashed garlic for 10 minutes on low heat, until it crisps up. It adds a nice texture and more garlicky flavor.

To brighten the dish, you could add a lot more of the chopped fresh parsley.

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AUTHOR & RECIPE DETAILS

Wholesome, seasonal ingredients in simple, delicious meals. Viktoria Radichkova is a passionate health food lover, creative recipe developer, and food photographer at Viktoriastable.com. In her recipes, Viktoria focuses on combining real, wholesome and seasonal ingredients into simple, and delicious meals.

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