MISO-GLAZED EGGPLANT WITH SPICY CHICKPEAS AND NINJA NUTS
© 2024 Wicked Foods Inc. All rights reserved.
This easy and simple eggplant-based dish is exploding with flavor and color with to the vibrant, fiery hue of fresh turmeric, rocket-red smoked paprika, lush green onion and neon-red Thai chilis. We love baking whole eggplants because of the soft and silky texture that develops when they are baked and the natural, boat-like presentation we get with the guts and skin still intact. After 25 minutes, this eggplant soaked up our rich+salty, boozy and slightly sweet glaze perfectly. This wicked easy dish is not only colorful and delicious, but fun to make and packed with protein, fiber, potassium and Vitamin C.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
for the glaze:
- 1/2 C sake
- 2 T chickpea miso
- 2 T agave
- 1 T fresh turmeric
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 t lemongrass, chopped
- 2 eggplants, sliced in half and scored
- 1/2 cup fresh chickpeas, cooked, tossed with 1 tsp chili flakes and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch coarse salt
- 1/4 cup candied-salted nuts, karate chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 T chili peppers, sliced wicked thin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Blend glaze ingredients together until smooth. Apply glaze to eggplants, making sure it gets in between the cracks of the score lines and marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Top with the chickpeas that were tossed with the chili and paprika. Add a pinch of salt.
- Bake for for 25 minutes, basting with the glaze halfway through cooking time and again once they come out of the oven.
- Top with the chopped nuts, green onions and chili peppers. Serve immediately.
Notes
And, in case you didn’t know, eggplant is actually a fruit, not a vegetable, and is related to the tomato and potato. There are tons of different varieties, so feel free to use what’s available to you. You can use canned chickpeas here but, if you want to cook dried chickpeas, here’s a handy and simple guide to show you how. As always, if you want to dial back the heat, reduce the amount of sliced chilis listed in the recipe below or leave them out completely.
Serve this as a main dish or as a small plate, and double up on the glaze if you think you want a little extra for drizzlin’, dippin’ or putting on other things. You can never have too much sauce, if you ask us.