Suanni Qiezi (Garlic Smashed Eggplant)
Northern Chinese cooks have a whole family of cold eggplant dishes, and the plainest of them is often the best: roasted eggplant, a great deal of raw garlic pounded to a paste, and a sharp dressing. This turns that idea into something you can spread. Chinese black vinegar, malty and low in acid, does the work that soy sauce does in other versions, carrying a dark savory note without the sodium, and a single minced date rounds its edge. Eggplant is mostly water and fiber, so a big platter of this costs almost nothing and sits light. It keeps a day in the fridge and only tastes more garlicky for it.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Eggplant, whole
- 4 cloves Garlic, grated to a paste
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 1 whole Medjool dates, pitted, minced fine
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 wholes Scallions, sliced
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes
Method
- Prick the eggplants a few times and roast whole at 450F (230C) for 25 minutes, turning once, until the skins char and the flesh collapses. Roasting dry, rather than cubing and pan-cooking, keeps the eggplant from soaking up fat and concentrates it into something silky.
- Let the eggplants cool enough to handle, then peel off the blistered skin and tear the flesh into long strands with your fingers. Tearing along the grain gives the ragged strands that hold dressing far better than neat knife cuts.
- Whisk the grated garlic, black vinegar, and minced date together. Grating the garlic to a paste is what makes this suanni, garlic-mud: it spreads raw heat evenly instead of landing in hot bites, and the date softens the vinegar the way a pinch of sugar traditionally does.
- Fold the dressing through the warm eggplant with the scallions, cilantro, and pepper flakes. Dress it while still warm so the strands drink the garlic and vinegar in rather than beading them off cold.
- Scatter the toasted sesame over the top and rest 10 minutes before serving. Malty black vinegar carries the savory depth here, which is why the spread needs no soy and no salt to taste finished. Serve as a dip with raw vegetables or spread on toasted whole grain.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 90 calories, 3 g protein, 6 g fiber, 10 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
