Vegan Eggplant Fish Trap : A Guest Post by The Novice Gardener

It was January 2014 when I decide to do The Guest Post Week every month on my blog…a great way for all my dear blogger friends to meet my readers and I get a chance to mingle with theirs. Stretching out was the plan. I am so glad that so many of my blogger friends liked the idea and are ready to pitch in.

So Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me present Angie, who blogs at The Novice Gardener. Oh my, the way she blogs is an art. Her pictures, her dishes, her presentation, her writing style, stories imbibed, her vegetable garden, few this and lot of that…..is like a deep ocean. You can keep swimming and keep getting more and more pulled in. Do check her Fiesta Friday, where she is hosting party every Friday and a great place to share some dishes and few drinks, get some good laugh, visit some art galleries, hear a story and crack a joke…all in one place. The best part is you don’t have to dress up ;).

Now over to Angie, my first Guest.

A is for Aubergine

This is a dual-purpose post, specifically written as a guest post for Sonal @ simplyvegetarian777 and specifically done as an entry to an A-Z photo project that Patty @ Patty Nguyen is currently undertaking.
My guess for the photo project is that you are to post a photo every 2 weeks, beginning with the letter A, until you finally end the year with Z. Am I right, Patty? There are 26 alphabets and 52 weeks. Simple math I can handle.
Therefore, this is like killing two birds with one stone. Always a plus every time I can do that. Besides, it’s a good way for me to introduce my two blogger buddies to each other. So, Patty, meet Sonal, and Sonal, meet Patty. There you go, give eachother a virtual hug.

The photo challenge, according to Patty, can be of anything and at first I thought about A for Acting. Specifically, bad acting. Specifically, Kristin Stewart’s. I know, I know… I, too, had to sit through four years of midnight showings of the Twilight series. Trust me, you have my sympathy. Not just for having to sit through the bad acting but for having to listen to my saying “specifically” numerous times.

But A for Acting may be veering away too much from what my blog is supposed to be. So I’ll try to stay on food and plants, even better if I can do plants that become food.

And so, A is for Aubergine, also known as Brinjal and Eggplant. Hey, Patty, can I submit this for all the three letters, A, B, and E? Oh, it doesn’t work that way? But I love killing multiple birds with one stone! Didn’t you expect something that will blow your mind? Entering one entry that can cover several letters at once is mind-blowing, no? Okey dokey, just a thought.
Sonal, on the other hand, asked for a scandalous post. There’s nothing scandalous about aubergine/brinjal/eggplant, except for the fact that I used to hate it. And for what I’m about to do with them. Here’s a clue: fish. Another clue: vegan. Say whaaa…?

Yes, I am making “Vegan Eggplant Fish Trap.” Scandalous or not, it’s super tasty. Especially if you substitute the tempeh with ground meat. Just kidding, Sonal! But that’s a thought for the non-vegetarians.

The idea for this came from Bento.com. It’s called “Fish Trap” because supposedly it looks like a fish trap. Since I’m no fishing expert, I’ll take their word for it. The Japanese seem to elevate the idea of food art to the next level. I just can’t get enough of their creativity. This is my attempt to emulate them.

Vegan Eggplant Fish Trap (Stuffed Eggplants)
You’ll get better results in making them look like fish traps if you use the long Japanese eggplants. I found these small oval eggplants, instead. They may not look like fish traps, but they look very cute!

Ingredients :
6 small eggplants
1 lb tempeh, crumbled
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp miso + 1 tbsp water
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp mirin or white wine (optional)
Teriyaki sauce
Toasted sesame seeds

Method :
1. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, hollow out the centers by scooping some of the flesh, and then make slits along the length of the fruits, leaving the ends still intact.
2. Place eggplants on a baking sheet, drizzle with some oil and bake in a 350° F oven for 10 minutes, or until eggplants are pliable bot not too soft. Set aside.
3. Place tempeh in a food processor and grind briefly until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a sauté pan, heat oil on medium-high heat, add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and stir to combine.
5. Add tempeh, diluted miso, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin/wine (if using), and stir to combine everything. Remove from heat and set to cool.
6. When tempeh is cool to touch, form them into balls, and place inside eggplant “traps,” fanning out the slits if necessary.
7. Return stuffed eggplants into the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until eggplants are completely cooked and soft.
8. Serve with teriyaki sauce and toasted sesame seeds.

Check out Angie’s Facebook Link to get more updates.

The following photos are from Bento.com