Grilled Eggplant With Asian Marinade

How To Grill Eggplant with an Asian marinade

If you’ve been looking for a quick keto grilled eggplant recipe, look no further! It is so easy to grill eggplant or aubergine, as some call it. This easy low-carb side dish can be ready in less than 20 minutes. I do suggest using either baby or Japanese eggplant for this recipe.

Meet The Eggplant

When I lived in China, eggplant was a very common menu item. It was cooked and fried and served in so many ways that I grew to love it. When it was in season, I enjoyed learning how to use it.

When purchasing eggplant, look for ones that are completely purple and slightly firm. Brown spots indicate that it is about to spoil or already spoiling. If it is soft, that indicates that it is not fresh and will be spongey in texture.

While the skin can be eaten, many people prefer to only eat the flesh.

Eggplant absorbs a lot of oil. In the following recipe, you’ll brush on some marinade right before putting the eggplant on a hot grill. You don’t want to soak these in the marinade.

Is Grilled Eggplant Healthy?

Did you know that eggplant is technically considered a fruit? It is because of the way that it is grown. However, it functions and is generally considered a vegetable.

Eggplant is a source of potassium which is a necessary electrolyte, especially for those leading a lower-carb lifestyle.

Is Eggplant low-carb?

Eggplant is nutrient-dense and low in starch, making it a great choice for a low-carb lifestyle. One cup serving contains 4.8 grams of carbs and 2.5 grams of fiber, making one cup of eggplant only 2.3g Net carbs. Remember, net carbs are the grams of carbs minus grams of fiber.

How to cut an Eggplant for grilling

The most common way to cut eggplant for grilling it is to slice it in half, lengthwise. This is the method used for baby and Japanese eggplants.

When grilling it, you’ll want to start with the flesh side down.

Note: If you’re using an Italian eggplant, you’ll want to make 3/4″ -1″ slices either in rounds or lengthwise. The size of the Italian eggplant is too large to ensure that it will cook through thoroughly using “slice in half” instructions.

Ingredients for Grilled eggplant with an Asian marinade

You’ll need 1-2 pounds of eggplant for this recipe. There are two kinds that I would recommend.

We’ve used baby eggplant, but you could use Japanese eggplant too. Japanese eggplant is the long, skinny variety.

Grilled Eggplant Marinade Ingredients

• Shallot – Minced
• Fresh Garlic – Minced
• Oil (any variety)
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Rice vinegar – This can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. You can also find it in the oil section. Look for a variety with low sugar or no sugar.
• Monkfruit sweetener

How to Grill Eggplant

Eggplant is easy to grill. Simply heat the grill to medium (about 350°F).

Slice eggplant in half and brush marinade on the flesh side.

Lay the eggplant face-down on the grill and grill for approximately 6 minutes.

Next, flip the eggplant and brush on more marinade. Grill for an additional 6 minutes or until a fork easily pierces through.

Serve the grilled eggplant with the marinade, drizzle a small amount over the finished eggplant.

Note: When eating eggplant, some prefer to only eat the flesh. Scrape the flesh out of the skin using a spoon.

What to serve with grilled eggplant?

Recipes that would pair well with this recipe include Paprika Grilled Chicken, which is also grilled. Maybe you’d like to enjoy some Brown Sugar Grilled Salmon with roasted eggplant.

For THM friends, this is an (S)

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Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Grilled Eggplant With Asian Marinade

Keto grilled eggplant is easy to make with an Asian marinade. Either use baby eggplant or Japanese eggplant for the best flavor on this low-carb side. Paleo, GF, DF, Vegan

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Appetizer, Asian, Dinner, Grill, Lunch, Side Dish, Supper

Cuisine: American, Asian, Asian-fusion

Eggplant, garlic, Grilled, Keto, Low Carb, Marinade, Shallot, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian

Servings: 6

Calories: 131kcal

Ingredients

• 1-1½ lbs Baby or Japanese eggplant

Asian Marinade

• 2 tbsp Shallot minced
• 2 Cloves of garlic minced
• 1/3 c Oil (Avocado or any preferred variety)
• 1/2 tsp Salt or more to taste
• ¼ t Cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp Rice vinegar
• 1 tsp Monkfruit sweetener

Instructions

• Heat grill to medium (about 350°F)
• Rinse and slice eggplants lengthwise.
• Mix ingredients for the oil marinade.
• Brush oil onto the flesh side right before placing eggplant on the grill.
• Grill eggplant 6 minutes on each side, start by grilling face-down.
• Flip eggplant and brush on more oil. Grill an additional 6 minutes or until the flesh is tender.
• Remove from heat and drizzle on more oil.

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