HOISIN GRILLED EGGPLANT + AVOCADO BÁNH MÌ

There are three camps with regards to eggplant. There are the Lovers, obviously. The individuals who grew up, conceivably, taking a seat to substantial Pyrex meals layered meticulously with fresh eggplant emblems, custom made red sauce and bronzed, percolating cheddar. There are the Haters. Those blazed by the sharp punch of a cantankerous aubergine culled too far past its prime or, sin of sins, hurriedly arranged without legitimate salting and care. And after that there are the individuals who can see and welcome the relentless eggplant’s potential, its central ability as an exacting wipe of flavor, the awesome sleekness that is cajoled forward with simply the right use of both fat and time—if just it weren’t for that annoying mouth tingle.

That, my companions, was me. Until I met the Japanese eggplant. Thin, delicate and snappy cooking, the Japanese eggplant—or as I get a kick out of the chance to call it, the less shady nightshade—is as neighborly to the sense of taste as its rotund cousin, the Globe, is persnickety. With less seeds and no intensity, it’s the perfect possibility for stir-fries, tempura, or my most loved readiness: flame broiling. I cherish it split or cut meagerly, brushed with a little sesame oil and flame broiled just until checked—just two or three minutes a side. With shoyu mayo for plunging, only this, could be the star of your mid year grills.

Here, however, that basic idea is taken up one more level with the utilization of sticky-sweet hoisin sauce, an Asian quasi-BBQ sauce, of sorts. Also, the mayo is blended directly into the marinade, which sticks uniformly (rather provocatively, truth be told. That is to say, you slather up some eggplant and afterward attempt to contend with that feeling… ) to the eggplant in a way that quickly-consumed oil does not. (Trust it or not, it really permits you to utilize less fat with wealthier, more delightful results.) And while the eggplant, as seems to be, would be most fabulous heaped high on a platter all alone, it’s much more charming tucked between two hunks of toasty French bread alongside thick cuts of rich avocado and the entire supplement of for the most part conventional bánh mì fixings: Pickled veggies, fresh English cucumber and zippy cilantro. A liberal smear of significantly more mayo (intensely complemented with sriracha, please!), and you have the sandwich of the mid year.

Hoisin-Grilled Eggplant + Avocado Bánh Mì
Makes 4 sandwiches
Prep time: 10 mins (plus marinating veggies) / Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 20 mins

Note: These sandwiches are a vegetarian’s dream, but they could easily be vegan with the substitution of vegan mayo.

For the Pickled Veggies (Make Ahead)
1 bunch radishes, trimmed
2 large carrots
2 T white or rice vinegar
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt

Run carrots and radishes through a spiralizer (or cut radishes daintily and peel carrots into strips utilizing a vegetable peeler). Add to a sealable holder with vinegar, sugar and salt. Shake. Let marinate a few hours or up to overnight. Channel before utilizing.

For the eggplant
4-5 Japanese eggplant, sliced on the diagonal
1⁄4 cup mayo
1⁄4 cup hoisin sauce
1 T light oil, such as avocado oil
2 cloves crushed garlic

Assembling the Bánh Mì
1 slender crusty French baguette, halved lengthwise and quartered
1⁄4 cup mayo plus extra for bread
1 T sriracha
1 large avocado, thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 recipe Hoisin-Grilled Eggplant
1 recipe Pickled Veggies
1 small bunch cilantro leaves
salt and pepper

1. Combine mayo, hoisin sauce, oil and garlic in a large bowl.

2. Add sliced eggplant and toss to combine. Heat grill or indoor grill pan to medium high.

3. Arrange slices in a single layer (work in 2 batches, if necessary) and grill until wellmarked, flipping once, about 2-3 mins per side. Allow to cool slightly.

4. Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Slather French bread with mayo and broil until golden brown.

5. In a small bowl, combine 1⁄4 cup mayo and sriracha.

6. To assemble sandwiches, spread bread with sriracha mayo and layer with avocado (seasoned with salt and pepper to taste), cucumber, eggplant, pickled veggies and cilantro. Top with more sriracha mayo-dressed bread (um, yeah, I like mayo…).

Cut sandwiches down the middle and appreciate!

Much thanks to you, Emily! Not just are these the most delightful Bánh Mì I’ve seen, they seem like they may be the most scrumptious. I can hardly wait to attempt them! Furthermore, thank you to Sarah Ann Noel for her help organizing this arrangement.

Emily Stoffel (Em) is the voice behind The Pig and Quill, a (generally) sustenance and (here and there) way of life online journal chronicling the genuine eats and deets of her life as an advertiser, nourishment essayist/picture taker, and new momma. She’s a firm adherent to the “all things with some restraint” saying including, as Julia Child has broadly said, control itself. At the point when Em’s not in the kitchen, you can discover her swearing behind a running stroller, obsessing about her Amazon truck and arranging elaborate get-aways that occasionally work out. She lives with her better half, Chris, and their one-year-old girl, Lana, in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can take after Em’s day by day fixations on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest and her naptime admissions on Snapchat (@mmmfoodhappy).