Laotian Eggplant Dip

One of the miracles of traveling in SE Asia was getting to try all the different dishes of each country we visited. How families cook and prepare food really does vary from region to region and my husband and I really enjoyed eating our way through the different countries. Vietnamese food will always be my number one favorite, how can it not be? I grew up eating authentic Vietnamese cuisine cooked by a grandmother who spent almost every waking moment preparing and cooking food with love for her family. I hope to post Vietnamese dishes in the future but today I'm sharing a recipe from a cooking class I took in Laos. I mainly chose this dish because it's super easy to make but also because it's very spicy! When we first ate this we shoveled it in because it was so good but had to chug our beers to cool our burning tongues. Just how I like it!

Laotians typically eat this dip with sticky rice. They rarely use utensils, choosing instead to eat with their fingers. They roll the sticky rice into little bite sized balls and dip it into the eggplant. We ate this for the first time in Luang Prabang sitting outdoors watching the Mekong River snake it's way through the jungle. The couple sitting next to us discussing poisonous scorpions in the area didn't make us flinch. It was truly magical. If you find yourself in Luang Prabang you must visit Utopia (it really is) and try their eggplant dip with sticky rice.

Because sticky rice takes some equipment I don't own, and most likely never will, I'll be serving it with a toasted ciabatta loaf along with carrot and celery sticks. I'm also adding feta cheese to the recipe although this is not typically Laos style but it adds great depth and flavor to the dish. Also, if you don't like spicy foods then by all means add less crushed red pepper or none at all, the eggplant is a great vehicle for a chili pepper, it absorbs the heat fully.I hope you like it as much as I do..


Laotian Eggplant Dip

2 Asian Eggplants, pierce and roast in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes or fresh chili peppers (or to taste)
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 cup feta cheese

Scoop out roasted eggplants into a large bowl and discard skin. Add chili peppers and lime juice and puree in immersion blender or food processor. And feta cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.

TIP: Asian eggplants are long and thin and they have many names such as Chinese or Japanese eggplants and they do not need to be salted before using. If Asian eggplant is unavailable use European eggplants and only salt before use if they are full of black seeds.

If your eggplant seems watery after they are roasted try straining it through a sieve to get out the excess water.