sharing raw, vegan recipes and advice
this is one of those “i can’t believe it’s raw” dishes. my entire family loves this. you have to make A LOT more than this if you want it to last as it reduces to not very much… plus, it’s delicious.
the recipe is adapted from my favorite cookbook, “verdura.” the book itself is neither raw nor vegan, but many of the recipes happen to be both (or easily modified)! there is an entire section on raw pasta sauces.
6 japanese eggplants, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch slices, then each slice in 3
sea salt
3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
basil leaves
red chile flakes (optional)
raw olive oil
place the eggplant in a bowl, toss with a few pinches of sea salt. let drain overnight.
squeeze out moisture gently with your hands over sink. you will ring out quite a bit of brown liquid from the eggplant.
toss with ACV, minced garlic and as much chopped basil as you like (i use a generous handful), and a pinch of chili flakes if using. douse with a generous amount of olive oil. use enough to just coat, or (as in the original recipe) completely cover it and let the ingredients infuse the oil.
viana la place writes “Although the eggplant can be eaten right away, the flavors improve after several days, and it keeps for months.”
i’ll have to take her word for it, cuz it never lasts that long! =)
This is the best raw dish I have eaten so far.
I have no idea what japanese eggplants are but at the local green grocer I found small (like 3 inch long) eggplants and I used those unpeeled.
I have changed the recipe a bit, made it from equal amount of eggplants and courgettes to make it a bit lighter as I found aubergines are too "meaty". I also added a small handful of unsoaked pine nuts and a dash of agave nectar to balance the ACV.
Oh, and had to put less garlic, I just used one clove.
I left the eggplants in the salt for two days before rinsing and sqeezing it. When the dish was done I just had it in the fridge and left it to marinate for another two days. A great excercise for self-controll :)
Fantastic! I served it on a bed of wild rocket leaves.
This is DELICIOUS! Ooopsie. As I added the exclamation mark half the bowl of this amazing recipe spilled all over me :) Still, really yummy, though now a bit dirty :O
pianissima thanks for responding to my question. I love your antipasta idea. i will have to give this a try with regular eggplant I will be getting in my CSA share. I know we get a lot of eggplant and am not quite sure what to do with it. Thanks for your great ideas. A lot of your other recipes are great too, thanks for sharing your ideas.
Has anyone tried with a regular eggplant? I don't think we can get japanese eggplants.
grassdude-- oooooh. that's a great idea! yes, the texture would be very similar to ratatouille. it ends up being a little chewier though.
majomi-- yes you peel them. i'll write that in as i forgot!
Do you remove the skin?
This is great. I might turn it into a ratatouille by adding grean or red peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini and tomatoes.
in circles. they end up being thin strips. (the photo is kind of shiny & unclear... not sure why)
Are you slicing the eggplants lengthwise or in little circles before you split into 3? Or does it really matter?
ACV=apple cider vinegar
oh that's so weird... i put it in the ingredients but it looks like it got erased.
i originally wrote (and will put it back up there): apple cider vinegar (acv for the hip)
Very cool! I've always been an eggplant lover, and I've been curious about how to consume it raw. :)
What is ACV?
never tried with regular eggplant. japanese eggplant has a milder taste, so i'm guessing that's why it's better in this recipe. also, i can't get good regular ones where i am.
i serve this as part of a whole "antipasto" series. i marinate sliced zucchini with lemon and olive oil and garlic. chopped tomatoes with basil. sliced onion and red pepper tossed with olive oil and lemon. i spread them out on dehydrator sheets while i make my salad and/or do dishes (usually taste about 45 minutes) and then dinner's ready!
have you tried this with regular eggplant? Also what do you typically serve this with?