I'm not South Asian but I have several shelves of cookbooks dedicated to the region's spectacular flavors. They are layered with complexity, sometimes subtle and sometimes yowza wowza. South Asians have had a long history in Vietnam too so we are connected in many ways. This recipe is nuanced and incredibly good. I made it two weeks in a row. It comes from Vishwett Bhatt's award-winning I Am from Here: Recipes and Stories from a Southern Chef.
The attraction include smoky eggplant (few people can resist it) but also Bhatt's narrative around the recipe. It's a reminder of good times with family at his maternal grandmother's home in India where his uncles would go to nearby farms to pick eggplants and chilies, return home to build a fire that the women would use to char the eggplants. The softened vegetable was mixed with garlic, ginger, lots of green onion, and spices. They'd eat it with freshly made flatbread.
Bhatt paints a lovely story around this vegan dish, which he now prepares in Oxford, Mississippi, his longtime residence. It used to be a main dish but in Oxford, it's a side dish to be paired with grilled dishes. It's great warm, at room temperature.
I've found that it keeps for a good 5 days to spread on bread, serve as a dip, or a side for summertime grilled meals. Enjoy with whole wheat tortillas if millet flatbread is not handy! This Gujarati eggplant has a great name too -- olo. You should make it. I've slightly tweaked Bhatt's recipe to use the microwave to cut down on grilling time. You have many options for charring veggies to smoky sweetness. And, I've included eggplant buying pointers here for you. Cook this once then you'll know why you ought to add it to your repertoire.
Eggplant buying and storage tips
Choose a heavy, firm-yet-slightly soft eggplant. I use globe eggplants. It should feel very weighty in your hand but give a little like a well-filled balloon. A rock hard, taught eggplant tends to lack sweet flavor. Store the eggplant at room temperature if using within 2 days. Refrigerate in loosely closed produce bag in the vegetable crisper drawer to keep for a good week.
How to toast and pound spices
For this recipe you the same skillet you’re going to cook the eggplant in. Put the coriander in the skillet, set over medium heat then toast, stirring often until slightly aromatic, 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds, then keep stirring and toasting until both are highly aromatic, 1 minute. If you over toast the coriander seeds until they darken and are highly aromatic, turn off the heat and add the cumin and toast until aromatic, 45 seconds or so. Pound both together using a mortar and pestle or use an electric spice grinder. I like using a large granite pestle even with a smallish mortar to get tasks done fast.
Serving suggestions
Gujarati-style charred eggplant is very compatible with grilled fare, whether it's animal or vegetable. I included it with a mini feast of grilled lamb steak in a spicy herb marinade and Thai grilled turmeric chicken. For a vegetarian meal, I paired the eggplant with a simple dal of red lentils, cucumber raita, roasted poblano peppers, and greens with seared mushroom. Bhatt's I Am From Here includes many other gems like his green tomato pie.
Gujarati-Style Charred Eggplant (Olo)
Ingredients
- 675 g | 1 big heavy eggplant
- 1 ½ tablespoons neutral oil
- ½ teaspoon brown or red mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida optional
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped ginger
- 300 g | 1 ¼ cups chopped tomato 1 big
- 3 green onions white parts finely chopped, green parts thinly sliced
- 10 g | 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped serrano chile seeded, if you want
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander or 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and pounded
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin or cumin toasted and pounded
- ½ teaspoon garam masala homemade or purchased
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Lime wedges optional
Instructions
- Char the eggplant to smoky sweetness: Use high heat on your biggest burner on a gas stove, perforated grill pan (see note below), or outdoor grill. Char the eggplant, rotating often until blackened here and there and smoky but not fully softened, about 10 minutes. (Turn on your exhaust if cooking indoor.) Transfer to a microwave safe plate. Slide into the microwave, cover with a splatter guard (see note below), then microwave on high power until softened and deflated, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Cover with an inverted bowl for loosen the skin, 10 minutes or longer. Trim the stem and remove the skin. Mash or chop the eggplant flesh.
- Make the mash: Reheat the skillet over medium. Swirl in the oil then add the mustard seeds until they start popping, 30 seconds. Dump in the onion and ginger, stir and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato, green onion whites, garlic and chile. Cook, stirring often, until the tomato has collapsed and little visible liquid remains, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the coriander, cumin, garam masala, and turmeric. Cook, stirring often, until aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Work in the eggplant and salt and cook, stirring often to develop flavor, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and add extra salt, if needed.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with the sliced green onion. Serve with lime wedges for anyone wanting a bright note.
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