simbal

Southeast Asian Kitchen + Bar

Roasted eggplant, scallion oil, fish sauce caramel

Side dishes can be the underappreciated plate in a meal. But in Vietnamese cuisine, one of the most prevalent and popular side dishes is roasted eggplant with scallions in fish sauce. The main challenge in making this dish, if there were one, is to char the eggplant just right to impart smokiness without overcooking the vegetable; undercooking, on the other hand, would render the eggplant unpeelable. Traditionally this dish is served with fish sauce (nuoc cham) and scallion oil. At Simbal, we try to be conscious of the overuse of one flavor. Hence, we substitute fish sauce caramel for traditional fish sauce. What the caramel adds is a light bitterness while complimenting the smokiness. We recommend savoring the eggplant with a hearty dose of jasmine rice.

 

 

photo courtesy of Salt of the Earth/Bruce Kramer