Soy Sauce Roast Eggplant is a more Asian inspired version of my Roasted Eggplant with Balsamic Glassa by basically substituting Soy Sauce for the Balsamic reduction. While the other one pairs well with red meats, I feel this version goes better with rice and fish. This also makes a great little afternoon snack.
While the recipe is almost the same, I’ve made two main changes. Of course the substitute from Balsamic Glassa to Soy Sauce, but I also a little bit of Umami Powder, which is basically a mixture made from Shiitake Mushrooms to give a little more savory flavor to this dish. I recommend the Takii Brand, however I’ve also tried it with the Trader Joe’s Mushroom and Company Seasoning Blend and think that’s great too.
Soy Sauce Roast Eggplant Ingredients:
- 2 Purple Eggplants, cubed
- 1 tbsp Good Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce; I like to stick with my Original Kikkoman, but you’re free to use whatever brand you like.
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Umami Powder
- White and Black Sesame Seeds
Soy Sauce Roast Eggplant Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 230°C or 450°F and line a sheet pan with aluminium foil.
2. In a large bowl add the eggplant cubes, Olive Oil, Soy Sauce, Garlic Powder, and Umami Powder. Toss it around until all the pieces are evenly coated.
3. Pour the bowl onto the sheet pan and spread the Eggplant pieces around. It’s okay if they touch a bit, but you don’t want them stacked on top of each other. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
4. When cooked, sprinkle with some White and Black Sesame Seeds and serve by itself or over white rice.
Notes:
Uncooked Eggplant is basically a giant sponge, in that it will quickly soak up all the liquids you add to it. This is why after adding all the ingredients to the bowl you should toss quickly to ensure that no one piece soaks up too much Soy Sauce or Olive Oil. When properly cooked, the Roasted Eggplant should come out with a soft salty, savory center, and slightly crispy skin.
Also, unlike my Roast Eggplant with Tahini Yogurt Sauce, this Soy Sauce Roast Eggplant version is cooked at a much higher temperature, resulting in an almost caramelized taste to the bites.
Lastly, I cheat when it comes to the White and Black Sesame Seeds, and just use Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Seasoning instead. Sometimes laziness pays off.
Soy Sauce Roast Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 Purple Eggplants cubed
- 1 tbsp Good Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Umami Powder
- White and Black Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 230°C or 450°F and line a sheet pan with aluminium foil.
- In a large bowl add the eggplant cubes, Olive Oil, Soy Sauce, Garlic Powder, and Umami Powder. Toss it around until all the pieces are evenly coated.
- Pour the bowl onto the sheet pan and spread the Eggplant pieces around. It’s okay if they touch a bit, but you don’t want them stacked on top of each other. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
- When cooked, sprinkle with some White and Black Sesame Seeds and serve by itself or over white rice.
