Grilled Eggplant

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Has it ever happened with you that you went to a party or marriage and tasted something from the lavish spread and it was love at first sight in first bite?

And then has it ever happened with you that you want to know what went in it and how is it made but you have no one to ask ??? (Unless you want to walk over to the area where the caterers are cooking and you are hoping over in your kanjeevaram saree ;) )

And then with no source of the recipe, you are left with no choice but to dismantle and post-mortem it yourself. ;)

And then does it ever happen to you, that you and your friends after the ooohhhh’s and aaaahhhhh’s discover the tastes and ingredients that went into it? “I think this is the dominating flavour in it…….. yeah and I can taste this as well……. ” And finally you come up with your own list!!

And then does it ever happen that you forget about it completely and then few years down the line that thing which you had sooooooo loved is just apt for blog event. And then you try to polish all your memory cells and bring up your list of ingredients and with all the materials ready with you, you begin your experiment in your laboratory kitchen ?

And then once you are all done with your experiment, its time for the final test!! So you pick it up and toss it in your mouth and try to remember that thing which you had eaten a few yrs back.

And then…….. EUREKA!!!!!!!!!!! :D

And Eureka it was indeed. :)

I am one person who runs miles away when there is something cooked with eggplant. Except baingan ka bharta, eggplants are only used for Italian cooking in my house. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Since the time Sangeeta announced the ingredient for JFI this month, I have been polishing my memory cells ever since to remember all the ingredients and make this dish. :) And make I did!!!! :D It goes great as a party snack or a starter. Beware that it’s a bit heavy on your tummy! :)

 

Slice the eggplant lengthwise about 1/2 to 1 cm in thickness. Spread then on a baking tray and brush olive oil generously on both sides.

 

 

 

 

 

Grill for 10-15 mins till it shows golden brown specs on the surface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the meanwhile, make the filling. You will need:

 

1/2 cup grated paneer

2-3 tbsp grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp ginger-garlic-chilli paste

salt to taste

1/4 tsp garam masala

chopped corriander

Mix them all together lightly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoon small portions of this filling onto one end of the grilled eggplant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roll them gently and top with some grated cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grill again till the cheese melts a bit and starts to brown. Insert a toothpick and serve as a starter. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This also goes to Nupur for “V for Vangi” this week.

SATURATORY WARNING: It is recommended that you go and spend an hour in the gym or the pool if you happen to consume more than 3-4 rolls. ;)

 

June 22, 2007 | Filed Under Eggplant, Paneer, Vegetables 

Comments

47 Responses to “Grilled Eggplant”

  1. bee on June 22nd, 2007

    now, durian is gonna be jealous.

    your JFI pic is obscuring some of your text. or is that self-censorship? :cool:

    LOL!! I have corrected it now. :) Thanks.

  2. trupti on June 22nd, 2007

    :grin:
    Oh this looks good! hun to tameta paan nakhish…

    Nice idea!!! me to batata pan nakhvanu vicharyu hatu. :)

  3. richa on June 22nd, 2007

    have i ever :lol: :lol:
    looks wonderful, what a perfect dish! and those eggplants look as if they are seedless :smile:
    lovely recipe, will try once my garden eggplants grow :roll:

    WAH!!!! You grow them !!!!!

  4. indosungod on June 23rd, 2007

    Thanks to the Eureka moment with a Vegetable that you don’t love!! The dish sure looks tasty.

    Thanks ISG. It was surely a Eureka moment for me. :)

  5. Sharmi on June 23rd, 2007

    that looks easy for a party and can be kept as a starter. very pretty presentation.

    Yes Sharmi, very apt for party starters. You can even make in advance then last grill while serving. :)

  6. Asha on June 23rd, 2007

    So , let me understand this! You don’t like Eggplants if it’s Indian dish except Bharta and you eat Eggplants if it’s Italian!! GOT IT!!;D
    Looks great.I don’t think it’s that big of a portion, enough to call for a jog.I could have about 4!!:D
    Packing for vacation,try to log on in the hotel if I can and see you on Wednesday:))

    You understand me so well Asha ;)
    You have a great vacation and just enjoy!!!!! I will see you on wednesday :)

  7. prema on June 23rd, 2007

    A very interesting recipe…. Ur pictures give a clear idea of how to do this dish.


    Thanks Prema. :) I love to see as each recipe takes form . :)

  8. santhi on June 23rd, 2007

    eggplants and starters…!!! trust you, dear coffee to amaze with such wondrous combinations….i can barely suffer it, ( only when amma cooks those yum kossu with kathirikai..:-) )…. :razz:

    I am very choosey when it comes to eggplants and hence have to mask it with other flavours ;)

  9. Suganya on June 23rd, 2007

    Now we are thankful that you got to remember it well and gifted us with this recipe :)

    Hahaha…. thanks Suganya. :)

  10. sia on June 23rd, 2007

    now what is this? baingan ka barta or italian? :twisted: but yeah, i love the simplicity of this dish and i can almost taste it just think abt it :grin: :idea:

    It’s neither!!!!! It’s EUREKA!!! ;)

  11. sia on June 23rd, 2007

    by the way, when i saw the title of this poste…ahem…i thought abt Archimedes :mrgreen: :lol:

    BTW, when I created this in my kitchen, I also thought about Archimeded….. ahem!!!! :P

  12. TheCooker on June 23rd, 2007

    Re: eggplants, I share your sentiments. But this, I’d like to try. Love the detailed pictures.

    Thanks Cooker. :) I am very picky when it comes to eggplant!!! :)

  13. Raaga on June 23rd, 2007

    beautiful!!

    :)

  14. Jyothsna on June 23rd, 2007

    Eggplants??? I’m already run away!!! But that lovely filling on top….ok, crawling back to that dish, can’t resist all that cheese :mrgreen: :wink:

    Hahahaha!!!!! I also need some thing to wooo me to it. ;)

  15. Vini K on June 23rd, 2007

    I heard of something like this years ago but now i am in the stage where I have forgotten it.Maybe the JFI roundup will inspire teh Eureka in me too,coffee :razz: very simple but looks beautiful.Will make a nice appetiser for a party too, me thinks.

    Oh yes!!!!!! Let me know how was your eureka moment ;)

  16. bhags on June 23rd, 2007

    These things i believe would be fun to make and fun to eat as well……I am going to try them this weekend …..

    Absolutely bhags!!!!! Fun all the wayyyyyyy!! :)

  17. Tee on June 23rd, 2007

    Absolutely delicious looking! I have to try out your recipe soon…thanks for sharing.

    Do try out Tee. :) It’s a good change. :)

  18. roopa on June 23rd, 2007

    ooh what is that baingan pizza,looks great so JFI got you with cooking baigan. BTW did you end up eating only the filling? :lol: :razz:

    Hahaha were you spying at me in my kitchen??? ;) From your north, is it so easy to peep into the kitchen in the east ;) . I was licking the filling as I was filling it!!! :P

  19. archana on June 23rd, 2007

    Even I like baingan bharta only. This recipe looks simple and nice. After reading your post I feel like trying it :)

    Yup!!! :) Do try it!!

  20. viji on June 23rd, 2007

    Sounds interesting Coffee. Good idea. Tks for sharing. viji

    You’re welcome Viji. :)

  21. Maninas: Food Matters on June 23rd, 2007

    This look absolutely fantastic! I love aubergine, and just about everything with them, but my other half is quite the opposite, which is why I don’t cook them very often. This week he is away, so I am planning to make a lovely parmigiana, all to myself! Which may not be a good thing for my hips, I know!

    I wanted to ask you if you have a tip on grilling aubergine that doesn’t make them to oily. when I try to spread olive oil on them, I find that they generally soak it the moment i put the first drop on them, so I don’t have the chance to spread them. I read somewhere that microwaving them briefly before cooking helps.

    Btw, I love your photos of the grilled aubergines! The look beautifully golden, and incredibly tasty!

    I used a brush to spread the oil on the slices. I rarely ever cook eggplant in my kitchen so not very sure about M/Wing it. But brushing was quite simple, you can try that. :) Thanks for the lovely words dear. Glad you liked it. :)

  22. Nupur on June 23rd, 2007

    LOL at the “eureka moment”…I too spend a lot of time dissecting dishes eating at events and restaurants and trying to replicate them at home. This one sounds like a super success!!

    And its fun when you can recreate it again by yourself!!!!! isn’t it!! :)

  23. Dumela on June 24th, 2007

    heeee, love your write-up…. and awsome dish, very unique and a must try….

  24. Cynthia on June 24th, 2007

    You are too good for words.

    To answer your questions: yes, yes (without the saree) yes, yes and yes.

    I’ve bookmarked the recipe to make it next time I’m having friends over. The presentation is exceptional.

  25. Kajal on June 24th, 2007

    WOW….gr8….very nice recipe with eggplants…..i can’t imagine the starter dish with eggplant :razz: ….lovely step by step photo so easily cook it…..thanks for sharing. :smile:

  26. Dilip on June 24th, 2007

    ben…with such lovely snacks…i may even get to like eggplant…~grin~…great post…very creative…thanks ben…

  27. Maninas: Food Matters on June 24th, 2007

    Thanks, I will try brushing them! It makes sense, because there is probably little oil on the brush, and the movement is quick! :)

  28. Hima on June 25th, 2007

    That is a cool one. I love cheeses of all varieties. This is a good treat a mix of two most favorite of mine, eggplant and the cheese.

    Oh yes!! I agree! :)

  29. Linda on June 25th, 2007

    Hi Coffee, they look so delicious! I’ll jog, I’ll jog… ;)

    I’ll join you! :)

  30. mandira on June 25th, 2007

    such a great idea.. like mini eggplant parmesan without the sauce. Looks so petite, like perfect snack bites…

    YES!!! Perfect Snack Bites!! :)

  31. Usha on June 25th, 2007

    Hi!
    How come you remembered all the ingredients ????? really super!!!!! lovely pics…

    Just happened to!!! :)

  32. Shruti on June 25th, 2007

    Hello dear,
    Landed here from India Counts..
    Reading your blog makes my little envy as i dont knwo how to cook besides some very few thing..which mainly consists of maggi, tea and …i cant bale to remember… :oops: ..

    Anyways, Take care

    LOL!!!!! It’s okay…. I was the same!!!!! Start a food blog and lurk around all the other food blogs…… see how you start churning out some wonderful things in your kitchen. :)

  33. Nirmala on June 25th, 2007

    Excellent recipe! The number of comments has exceeded the lenght of the recipe ;) Should definitely give a try!

    Hahaha……. oh yeah!!! Do try, its delicious. :)

  34. sandeepa on June 25th, 2007

    Why oh why the weddings I have attended never served this ? Was it a Singapore wedding ? Looks lovely Coffee

    NAH!!!!! Mera Bharat Mahan!!!! ;)

  35. Srivalli on June 26th, 2007

    Coffee…what a sense of suspense you have gaven the post! :twisted: …the pictures are absolutely great. :razz: ..and must have tasted real good…wish you had sent me few…:) :oops:

    srivalli
    http://www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com


    LOL!!!!! I will send you when I make it next time!!! Better still, you make it and send it to me ;)

  36. bill on June 26th, 2007

    coffee,
    i love eggplant!!!
    always looking for new ways to cook them…
    thanks for this great looking, easy recipe
    i will definitely try it
    would make a wonderful, light supper w/a salad and bread of some sort

    your biggest lurker and first time poster,

    bill

    Hello lurker, errr…… I mean bill. :) Glad you liked it and even happier that you came out of lurking and changed your status ;) Keep coming more. :)

  37. anusharaji on June 28th, 2007

    thats cool :)
    never imagined they are aubergines
    thought something sweet
    best rolls i ever imagined ;)

  38. nz on July 2nd, 2007

    That looks soooooo super easy to make - Eggplant isnt one of my top favourties either - the only form I like them in is baigan bharta and bagara baigan ! Will have to try this one though and see if I like stuffed-grilled eggplant !!!

  39. sra on July 3rd, 2007

    Coffee, don’t know how I missed this post (but saw the next one) but I knew what they were as soon as I saw the pic, even before reading the text - didn’t guess the filling, of course. great idea, and great deconstruction and reconstruction!

  40. food portrait from photo on July 6th, 2007

    I can do this at home!!! Yes, I can. Now I can go beyond fried eggplant slices. Have you also tried this — grill the whole eggplant and dip the flesh to unfried scrambled eggs? Add tomatoes and other spices to the scrambled eggs before dipping the eggplant. Finally fry the eggplant and serve while hot. Yummy!

    I am not very experimental with this veggies unfortunately :( But sounds good though. :)

  41. Mrs Singh on July 7th, 2007

    Hi, Sat Sri Akal, greetings from Malaysia. Got a great Blog going.
    Baingain looks great, would love to make it, but cant get paneer in Malaysia! Would you b able to suggest a sustitute please?
    This Vegie really needs an upgrade, everyone tends to turn their noses up at the mention of it! Poor Baingain!
    Thanks in advance

    Sat Sri Akal Mrs Singh! :) Thanks for the compliments.
    You can either make paneer at home…… or try substituting with potatoes or some other veggies with cheese. :)

  42. Priyanka on July 9th, 2007

    Lovely post. This is a truly mouthwatering yummy dish. Am definitely gonna try it out. thanks for sharing.

  43. Soumya on July 10th, 2007

    Hey gr8 recipe dear….. will try soon… I always look for serving veggies in new way & its one of the best recipe i found from u….
    As u said we only make Baigan ka Bhartha….. but now this summer i tried few new recipes & one of them is very old traditional southIndian recipe…
    will soon upload..

    Thanks
    Food Lover
    :)

  44. Steamy Kitchen on July 10th, 2007

    haha - i love that term, ‘Post mortem it”

  45. Jigar on July 14th, 2007

    Coffee….this was juz amazing…..!!!

    Am gonna try this one….

    Jai Garvi Gujarat….

    i liked when you wrote… Itallian Khichdi…..lmao…. :lol: …am a great Khichdi lover ….and that too have to Itallian khichdi….have to khade j chutko!! :smile:

  46. Pintoo on July 25th, 2007

    :lol: Desi Eggplant Rolitini. Wow coffee, what imagination!!
    Gonna try this.

  47. Kanchana on September 10th, 2007

    Amazing. We had this at an italian restaurant with a lemon flavored ricotta cheese. It was delicious, i like this indian take on it. sending to my hubby to make for me!

    Kanchana

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