Grilled Eggplant Salad in Coconut Milk (Finadene Birenghenas)

• large thin eggplants6 -7

  about 1.5 lbs/680g

• oil2 tablespoons

  enough to coat eggplant

• large onion↗1⁄2

  sliced thinly

• coconut milk↗1⁄2 cup
• lemon↗1

  juice of

• salt↗

  to taste

• ground black pepper↗

  to taste

• Thai peppers↗1 -3
• scallion↗

  to garnish

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Pre-heat grill.

2. 2

   With a sharp knife, pierce skin of each eggplant in 4-5 places to prevent the eggplants from bursting while on the grill. Lightly coat each eggplant with olive oil.

3. 3

   Place eggplants over high heat to char, and cook until eggplant is completely soft, with no spongy areas (spongy = still not cooked through). Time will depend on the size of the vegetables. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle.

4. 4

   Holding the stem end, remove peel by pulling downwards — peel should come away easily, leaving the vegetable flesh intact. Once eggplants are peeled, they can be refrigerated 3-4 days for later use.

5. 5

   Combine onions, coconut milk, lemon, salt, and peppers. Taste coconut milk mixture and correct for salt, if necessary — it sould be lemony and slightly sweet. Allow to sit for 30 minutes while you prepare eggplants.

6. 6

   Cut peeled eggplants crosswise into bite-size chunks. Add eggplants and gently combine to distribute flavors. Garnish with green onion rings.