Teriyaki Grilled Eggplant with Cashew Coconut Rice

Just this last Wednesday I was invited to have some dinner with some friends so we decided to meet up and then cook and eat together. My friend is a vegetarian so instead of grilling up some burgers we decided to grill up some teriyaki eggplant and make cashew coconut rice to go with it. As a meat lover myself I was not sure I would particularly enjoy this meal, but I can safely say this is a meal that everyone will love.

Teriyaki grilled eggplant served with cashew coconut rice, salad, and avocado slices!

Here’s what you need (serves 4):

teriyaki sauce:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup agave nectar
splash of tamari
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
white parts of 2 green onions, roughed up with the back of your knife a bit (save green parts for the rice)
black pepper
1 tsp miso
1 tsp mirin

eggplant + herbed cashew coconut rice ingredients:
2 eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
sea salt
1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
1 slice of fresh ginger
1 tbsp extra virgin Kelapo coconut oil + extra for the grill
fat pinch of sea salt
2 cups filtered water
juice of 1 lime
drizzle of grape seed oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
green parts of 2 green onions, thinly sliced
2-3 sprigs basil, chopped
2 sprigs mint, chopped
1/3 cup toasted cashews + extra for garnish, chopped
small handful black sesame seeds
1 chili, thinly sliced (optional)
more salt + pepper
handful of sprouts/micro greens (optional)

Make the teriyaki sauce: combine all of the sauce ingredients except for the miso and mirin in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the miso and mirin until the miso is fully dissolved. Set sauce aside to cool.

Place the eggplant slices in a large colander. Season the slices liberally with salt and toss them around to ensure even contact with the salt. Let the eggplant drain in the sink for about 10 minutes. Pour out any excess water and place eggplant slices in a ceramic dish. Cover the eggplant with 1/2 of the teriyaki sauce and allow it to marinate while you prepare the rice.

Be careful when applying the sauce it is flammable.

Place the brown rice, ginger slice, coconut oil, salt and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the rice to a boil and simmer until all of the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Scrape rice into a large bowl and allow to cool for a bit. Once adequately cool, toss the rice with all of the remaining herbed cashew + coconut rice ingredients, reserving some of the herbs, shallots, cashews and seeds for garnish. Check the mix for seasoning and adjust. Set aside.

Preheat your grill to high and brush it with some coconut oil or spray with Kelapo’s Coconut Oil Cooking Spray. Place the marinated eggplant slices on the grates. Allow them to develop char, about 3 minutes, and then flip the slices over. Brush the grilled sides with extra teriyaki sauce. Once the other side is charred, flip the slice over once more and quickly brush the other side with teriyaki sauce. Remove slices from the grill and serve with herbed cashew coconut rice. Garnish with remaining herbs, nuts and sprouts.

While grilling the eggplant I was not super happy with how my sauce turned out so I added a few drops of Sriracha sauce to each side of the eggplant to add a nice pop of flavor.

I hope you enjoy it!

-Sebastian

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