24 Comments
User's avatar
Ariel's avatar

Holy crap this sounds amazing. I think my purple eggplants in the garden are about ready to pick. I know what I’m gonna doooo. Also hell yeah to beige food.

Hetty Lui McKinnon's avatar

Home grown eggplant!!! You are so lucky.

Kathlyn's avatar

Sounds delish, but is there an alternative to chilli crisp. It’s not really a thing in England yet, that I’ve noticed. What could I use instead?

Hetty Lui McKinnon's avatar

Oh surprised to hear that!! A lot of the flavor here comes from the chili crisp. You could just add some sort of hot sauce or chili oil but you will have to adjust the seasonings. I’m sure it will still taste great.

And if you did want to try making your own chili crisp, this is my recipe from my book To Asia, With Love. Here’s the recipe online - https://foodforeveryone.com.au/blogs/recipes/hetty-mckinnon-s-everything-oil-from-to-asia-with-love?srsltid=AfmBOorVDzHfGci5cz5N0SH_oHlnJBprHaBMOeHdBu34se__7VHwp2uV

Kathlyn's avatar

Brilliant! Thank you! I’m more than happy to make my own, as I can do a big enough batch to share with my dad (he’s a massive curry fan, so will likely have ingredients in already).

Hetty Lui McKinnon's avatar

Yay hope you all enjoy it!!!

Monica's avatar

Definitely a thing in England, just not available absolutely everywhere! But they have it at Ocado and Sainsburys; you can easily get it online (Delli, Sous Chef, Amazon, various Chinese supermarkets); or you can get it at a Chinese supermarket (or even a corner shop in an area with lots of students).

Kathlyn's avatar

Yeah, I’m poor and shop at Asda or Lidl, that’s why I asked. I might try the Asian food shop on our local shopping street though.

Heide Horeth's avatar

I bet it's not too hard to make and would last a long time. Maybe?

Hollie White's avatar

Chili Crisp has its own unique flavor so there really isn’t any good substitute. Look for it at an Asian specialty market. It can also be purchased directly from Amazon here in the U.S., perhaps you have similar type of online retailer.

Susan Felley's avatar

Is there a reason to remove the skin from the roasted eggplant? I recently made Baba Ganoush in a food processor and included the skin. It didn't add any bitterness, and I'm guessing it upped the fiber content. Just wondering...

Hetty Lui McKinnon's avatar

Textually I prefer this without it because it can be bitter and not a nice mouthfeel. That’s my personal preference- feel free to try it with the skin!! I’m sure it will still be good.

Mary's avatar

Made this tonight and loved the slurpable texture and that the eggplant really does cling to the noodles! I'm out of chili crisp so I put chili garlic sauce instead - should have thought to reduce the amount of raw garlic accordingly, but live and learn. Thanks for a wonderfully fun recipe!

Deb Nielsen's avatar

Made this today with the eggplant I got in my CSA box and it was great. Thank you! 😊

Hetty Lui McKinnon's avatar

Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it Deb

Aki moroto's avatar

This sounds and looks wonderful! Perfect for the Summer! Thank you for sharing

Faye Levy's avatar

Thank you! I love smashed eggplant even on its own, and especially with tahini. With chili crisp and udon it sounds fantastic. Your dish looks and sounds absolutely delicious.

Hetty Lui McKinnon's avatar

Thanks Faye. Smashed eggplant fan here too!!

Heide Horeth's avatar

I'm on an eggplant kick these days and just finished making an eggplant/tomato bruschetta. So good. Sad that the most beautiful vegetable is so under appreciated! Thanks for another recipe to try! All the best!

jess's avatar

it sounds and looks so simple yet good! smashing eggplant + slurping noodles = how can I resist/???

Susanne Helmert's avatar

This looks delicious and sounds like the perfect summer meal! Thank you!

Stacey's avatar

Sadly, my partner loathes eggplant. Do you think I could try this with roasted zucchini (also in abundance right now)?

chef Harrison's avatar

eggplant seems to always be the last ingredient sitting in my fridge from last grocery haul. smart to make a dip when there’s not much else to work with