To be honest, I never like eggplant when I was a kid. Not until when I began my vegan journey; perhaps that was also how I set out my cooking and baking path. Back in the day, there wasn't any social media. Forget social media, there was hardly anyone who is into veganism.
That forces me to cook for myself. Ironically, that's how I fell in love with eggplant. During my veganism journey, I met and discovered lots of lovely people and Gaz Oakley is one of those people whom I discovered online. And yes, this recipe is inspired by Gaz Oakley. Please check out his recipes. He is a genius!
I stop being a vegan many years back and that's a story for another day. But once in awhile, I would go plant-based and adore dishes like this. I am using my homemade harissa which is vegan-friendly. You can use store-bought ones, just be sure to read the ingredient list (if you want this dish to be 100% vegan).
Ingredients:
Inspired by Gaz Oakley
(Serve 4)
Equipment:
Oven
Griddle / Grill
Directions:
Please visit my “How To Make Harissa" page for the recipe.
Please visit my “Hummus" page for the recipe.
Slice the eggplants in halves
Lightly season the eggplant with sea salt.
Transfer onto a wire cooling rack and let them sit for about 30 mins.
This will draw out the moisture from the eggplant, thus removing the raw bitterness.
While the eggplant slices are sitting, mix harissa and liquid smoke until well combined.
After 30 mins, slit the eggplants in a criss-cross pattern.
Dredge the eggplant generously with the harissa mixture.
Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius or 355 fahrenheit.
In a griddle over medium heat, add olive oil.
Once the oil is heated up, place in the eggplants.
Grill until lightly charred.
If you have any leftover harrisa mixture, dredge the cherry tomatoes and sprouts with the mixture.
Transfer onto a baking tray.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add in the grilled eggplants.
Wack into the oven and bake for 20 mins or until the eggplants are tender soft and the tomatoes start to blister.
Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle some basil over the top.
Add some hummus onto serving plates and serve immediately with the eggplant, cherry tomatoes and sprouts concoction.
Melt in your mouth sensation...
Mama Mia...