5 Ingredients is an Urban Family series where we sit down with a Shanghai-based chef and ask for a family-friendly meal using 5 Ingredients easily found in Shanghai. Let us help you start the week with a simple five-step recipe!
This month Chef Koen Vessies shares his simple yet delicious eggplant salad. As executive chef at el Willy, and managing partner with the el Willy Fun F&B Group, he knows how to make tapas to perfection.
Born and raised in Holland, Chef Vessies has been sharing his culinary prowess in Shanghai for the past sixand-a-half years. From an early age, he knew what he wanted to do; some would say that becoming a chef was his calling. At 13, he took a job washing dishes at a local restaurant in his hometown and years later, he went on to study hospitality management in The Hague by day, while fulfilling his love of cooking by night. His passion and talent have taken him around the world, training in renowned restaurants throughout The Netherlands, UAE, France, Spain and Italy.
What five ingredients do we need?
4 eggplants, cut into thick slices
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon tahini
Arugula and mint to taste
Additional seasoning: Sesame seeds, salt, pepper, chili powder and lemon olive oil
Image via Pixabay
What is the five-step recipe?
1. Over an open flame, burn the eggplant until the skin turns silver. Or, place the eggplant on baking paper, lightly drizzle with oil and oven bake for 20 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius. Allow to cool, then peel off the burnt skin and chop the meat.
2. Mix the onion with salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Then, rinse with water and strain.
3. Combine the eggplant with the onion, garlic and tahini. Then, mix with salt, pepper and chili powder.
4. Assemble by placing your eggplant mix on a plate and sprinkling with sesame seeds.
5. Top the eggplant with your arugula and mint leaves then lightly drizzle lemon olive oil over the dish.
What's your advice on your dish of the week?
Make sure you serve this eggplant salad at room temperature. During cooler weather you can preheat the plates a little. To make it more filling, add chickpeas to the mix.
Tell us something that's happening with el Willy at the moment, that our Urban Family community can enjoy.
They have recently launched their Super Sexy Vegan Menu where you can enjoy 11 dishes for RMB400 per person. Alternatively, you can order individual vegan tapas-style dishes. To ensure they have the best from every season, they will change their vegan menu on a monthly basis.
[Cover image via Koen Vessies]
For more 5 Ingredients, here.
