I love eggplant but don’t always want all the calories that go with eating it. It’s a vegetable that’s often times cooked into rich foods, fried in oil or simmered in rich sauces. Even when I grill whole ones, either for Vietnamese eggplant with scallions or Indian bhaigan bharta, there’s some oil involved to enhance the vegetables plush qualities.
Giving into all the fatty eggplant pleasures — deep-fried eggplant tempura, stir-fried eggplant in garlic sauce, baked eggplant parmesan — seems inevitable. A low-calorie eggplant dish? Nah!
Never would have I thought of boiling eggplant. That sounded nasty when a Hmong farmer suggested it to me. It’s a common way for us to prepare eggplant, John Xiong assured me. He harvested some Chinese eggplant from his Fresno field and we went back to his home to prepare this dish, among others that hot afternoon in 2006.
The Hmong eggplant mash (called lws kubtshis tuav, don’t ask me for a pronunciation!) was enlightening. John and his wife, Bee, boiled their eggplants whole so they would not get water logged. When soft, they peeled them, then mixed the flesh into a fiery chile, scallion, and cilantro mixture that had just been pounded in their mortar.
The result was full of heat and herbal pungency. It was great scooped from the mortar onto balls of steamed sticky rice, but John said that it was rather lean. If you want to take it another step, he revealed, cooking it with some oil and add extra scallion. He did and it was richer tasting.
Since 2006, I’ve prepared this Hmong eggplant mash recipe every summer, when Asian eggplants are the freshest at my farmer’s market. I make it without the extra step of sautéing it.
Without the oil, eggplant’s natural sweetness comes forward more and the bold seasonings remain bright. Plus, it’s a simple and low-calorie way to capture eggplant’s lush flesh.
I'm not about to give up on deep-frying eggplant but a girl's got to keep a balanced diet! Give this eggplant recipe a try for a light and easy summer
preparation.
RECIPE
Hmong Spicy Eggplant Mash
Lws Kubtshis Tuav
Choose any of the purple eggplants for this mash. Make sure they’re firm and weighty feeling. I eat the mash with regular rice, sticky rice, or spread on toasted baguette.
Serves 3 or 4
2 large or 3 medium Asian-style eggplants (Chinese, Indian, Japanese or Filipino) (1 pound total)
9 small or 8 medium Thai chiles, stemmed and chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped scallion, green part only
1/4 lightly packed cup chopped cilantro
1. Put the eggplant, untrimmed, into a pot of water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for about 20 minutes, until extremely soft. When gently pressed with the chopstick, the chopstick should leave an impression.
2. Remove from the water and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Use your fingers to remove the thin skin from each eggplant; discard the skin. Trim and discard the stem end. Cut each eggplant crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces.
3. Put the chiles and salt into a mortar. With a circular motion of the pestle, crush the chiles and salt against the sides of the mortar into a rough mixture.
4. Add the scallion and cilantro, and switch to an up and down pounding motion with the pestle to combine the flavors well and reduce the mixture to a damp, rough mixture.
5. Add the eggplant to a mortar and wield the pestle in a circular motion, as if you’re stirring, to combine the ingredients well. (If you have a small mortar, add the eggplant in 2 or 3 batches). Taste and add extra salt as needed. Transfer to a shallow bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: If you want to make a richer version, add 2 chopped scallions (use green part only) to the mash. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium heat and sauté the mash for about 2 minutes, or until the scallion has softened and is cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.
Other Hmong related posts:
Eggplant is so versatile. Why not low fat .. low cal!!
Sara
http://www.momentsofelegance.com
Sounds intriguing. I just got back from a Hmong community garden and saw huge plots proliferating with eggplant. There was no person to give precise details on recipes and uses to my disappointment – but fun, nonetheless.
Lovely picture of what is usually a hard to photograph vegetable. This sounds fresh and healthy (just what I’ve been craving after an overload of sweets).
I never would think to boil eggplant, but I guess it is similar to roasting it in the oven then peeling the skin off when soft. It’s like an Hmong baba ganoush 🙂 Quite a nice simple recipe. Can’t wait to try it out.
My mom makes this dish in the summer but I am not too fond of eggplant anything, so I don’t eat it 🙁 At my house, it’s more like a condiment. Anyway, here’s a rough pronounciation of the dish!
Lws Kubtshis Tuav = lu koo-CHEE toua
loos like a perfect eggplant dip …
I eat eggplant a lot, but have never boiled it. This sounds so good – like a nam prik kind of thing…
This is my favorite to dip with fried meat!
This mash just sounds so tasty and refreshing. I look forward to trying an eggplant dish with no oil.
When I was in South East Asia years ago in the Military we ate a wonderful dish like this but the eggplant was peeled and then boiled , left in pieces , it was served over rice and the spicy additives you describe were added to top of the steaming eggplant I loved it and make it ofetn for myself
Reminds me a lot of the Indian dish – Baingan Bhartha. The difference is that the a big eggplant is roasted, then smashed. chopped onions, a bit of garlic, even a little tomato is added. it is then tempered with with mustard seeds. the result? yummm …
yumm had this earlier
Second the great photo. Love the eggplant colored bowl.
I like each recipe which is made with eggs.Low-cal Hmong spicy eggplant recipe is new for me and now I am going to try this different recipe.This seems tasty.
I was intrigued by this post as soon as I read it. Tried the recipe immediately, albeit with half the recommended Thai chiles. Added a little lime juice and a little oil, but didn’t cook the mash in the oil. Loved it over sticky rice. Like Madeline, I thought it seemed baba ganoush like, so today I made it with baked eggplant, used fresh cayenne chiles from a local market and tempered the heat just a bit with some palm sugar, which had the added benefit of balancing the lime juice. I love this. You get a lot of flavor for just a few ingredients and not much effort. My partner says it’s a lot like fresh green salsa in flavor, but the eggplant manages to shine through. I’m going to use this as both an appetizer and a condiment for meats in various formats.
It is a vegetable that is often cooked in rich foods, deep-fried or cooked in a rich sauce. Even I, when the whole grilled eggplant or green onion Vietnamese bhaigan Bharta India, oil is a bit involved to improve the quality of stuffed vegetables.
These all are great to share with us. It was served over rice and the spicy additives you describe were added to top of the steaming eggplant I loved it and make it often for myself. In all these there are so many things which is great.
When I was in South east Asia there early in the armed forces who ate a wonderful dish like that, but the eggplant is peeled and cooked, left in pieces, served with rice and spicy additives were added to describe the top of the steam I loved the eggplant and it’s for me often.
The result was full of warmth and a bitter herbal. It was a great win away from the mortar on top of steamed glutinous rice balls, but John said it was rather thin. If you want to take a step, he revealed, is a little cooking oil and add extra scallions. He did so, and had a richer flavor.
The result was full of warmth and herbal spices. He was tall, carved into the mortar on the balls of steamed glutinous rice, but John said it was rather thin. If you want to go a step further, he revealed, with a little cooking oil and add the extra green onion
If you want to take it another step, he revealed, cooking it with some oil and add extra scallion. He did and it was richer tasting. These dish is really very delicious.
Hmong Spicy Eggplant Recipe looks yummy and delicious I have never try such Recipe the good things I like regarding this recipe is low calorie and it’s really good towards the health….
It is a common way for us to prepare eggplant, John assured me Xiong. He gained some of its Chinese eggplant Fresno area and we returned home to prepare this dish.
These all are looking really very fantastic. It was a great win away from the mortar on top of steamed glutinous rice balls, but John said it was rather thin. If you want to take a step, he revealed, is a little cooking oil and add extra scallions.
These stuff is really very fantastic to know about it. In all these there are so many things which is really very advance.I have never try such Recipe the good things I like regarding this recipe is low calorie and it’s really good towards the health.
These recipe which you can share over here is looking really very fantastic i like it so much. If you want to take a step, he revealed, is a little cooking oil and add extra scallions.
Expenses are at every step and you are the only one who spend money without much thinking!
This seems to be a delicious recipe. I like low calorie food and I take that type of diet only as it helps to keep the body fit and healthy.
I have never try out the Grilled Eggplant Mash recipe but looks interesting and the Yummy one,Lady finger is mine favourite just note done can’t wait to taste it at home.
At last, got what I was looking for! I absolutely enjoying every little bit of it. Glad I stumbled in this Blog! And also I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
Low calories are always a very fit and healthy diet to follow. This diet keeps us healthy and fit and gives all the nutrition we require. This is the best diet to follow as it keeps the body fit.
beautiful shot. was it taken with your new camera?
beautiful shot. was it taken with your new camera?
It is an Interesting stuff! This article is very helpful for those people who like spicy foods. You give all the details about this recipe which is very nice thing. I will share this article to all my friends.
I haven’t had this in forever. I’m surprised to find this recipe here. However my mom bakes the eggplant instead of boiling it.
Hi, Andrea! Love, love your blog! I am Russian jewish, who moved into States from Western part of Ukraine. Was introduced to vietnameese food by my co-workers. Than I found your blog! Really nice to meet you!
We usually roast eggplant in the oven or open flame, then peel, mash and add chopped tomatoes, chopped onions and/or garlic, salt, pepper, vinegar or lemon juice, oil to taste. You could also chop roasted or raw bell peppers, greens as cilantro, or parsley, or dill. A lot less calories than roasting and tastes well! Pairs well with fish or meat, or just a chunk of fresh bread.
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Love your post on this. The eggplant w/pepper is delicious! I prefer steaming verses boiling, because when you boil it, it absorbs in a lot of water making it losing its flavor. In comparison to steaming, it releases water out. In result the eggplant tastes stronger in green. But y point here is that your spelling of in Hmong is wrong, it should of been “lws kua txob tuav” meaning mortored eggplant w/pepper.
I guess it’s similar to roast in the oven, then peel the skin when soft. It’s like an ethnic Hmong Baba Ganoush. very nice simple recipe. I can not wait to try it.
The result was full of heat and a bitter herbal. It has been nice to win away from the mortar on top of steamed sticky rice balls, but John said it was pretty close.
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These stuff is really very fantastic to know about it. In all these there are so many things which is really very advance.
YUMMMM! My dad makes this every summer with my mom’s fresh eggplants…and it is delicious. And every time my dad is mashing it up in the mortar, he tells the tale of life in Laos as a poor boy with nothing to eat…and the elders would boil and mash up a few of these mixed in with some cilantro, onion, pepper and a bit of salt. And they’d all sit around this big bowl of mashed up eggplant and eat it with some rice. And that’s how life was like in the villages in Laos and in the refugee camps in Thailand…and that’s how I experience a bit of my parents’ history right here in America! Enjoy!