I’ve been told that my palette handles heat pretty well, but compared to my mom, hubby, and his family, who can eat Thai bird chilis (raw) along with their meals, I think I score a little on the wimp scale.  Still, if you are not into spicy foods, omit the chili garlic paste here and decrease the amount of ginger a little.  And if you do eat spicy foods and think this is too hot, don’t lay the blame on me!  I warned you. 

Eggplant is a great way to add variety to your weekly veggie repertoire.  Usually in the market you’ll see the large, globe eggplant which is the regular/classic variety.  I like these in eggplant parmigiana because they’re really meaty.  For this dish, though, I changed it up a bit and used the Japanese eggplant variety, which is long and thin.  The purple skin is also a little lighter than the typical globe variety.  Great for stir-fries too.  Anyways, try this out.  The marinade caramelizes under the grill and develops a sweet, spicy crust that I think you’ll like!

Spicy Grilled Japanese Eggplant

serves 5

5 small Japanese eggplants, tops cut off and cut in half lengthwise

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp chili paste

1 1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp canola oil

1.  Whisk together all ingredients except for the eggplant.  Brush the marinade over both sides of the eggplants, reserving about 1 Tbsp of the marinade.

2.  Grill each side of the eggplants until tender, about 3 minutes each side.  In the George Foreman grill it takes a total of about 3-4 minutes without the need to flip the eggplant over.  Brush the remaining reserved marinade over the grilled eggplants before serving.