Mushroom and Eggplant Yassa

I have found that cubing eggplant and placing in a lightly oiled cast iron pan in preheated oven after a light sprinkle of salt & roasting 10 - 15 min. w'a least one 'flipping' softens it w'out excessive oiliness as happens in this more conventional way. Have done numerous dishes similar to this w'great success this way!

12 minutes to carameliza onions? Not in my experience, especially at medium. I’d allow at least 30 minutes.

Hi Brenda, it sounds like you and your family are chile-sensitive so I would start with jalapeño, deveined and deseeded. The next step up might be Serrano, also deveined and deseeded. I remove the seeds and pith from all of my chiles. They add extra heat and no extra flavor. If you want your dish to be spicier, either use more chile or a different chile. Hope this helps.

03/20/2023 - Better than expected--a keeper. Started onions with bay leaves, then roasted mushrooms and unpeeled garlic cloves at 425 til mushrooms gave up liquid; added eggplant to absorb mushroom liquid and roasted all (~30 min. total). Peeled and mashed roasted garlic into onions and added ginger and thyme. Used only ~1 c. veg broth (Better Than Bouillon). Added mushroom mix to onions and finished with lime juice, mustard, and scallions as in recipe.

With basic ingredients that are so healthy, how can one add so much unhealthy fat and salt? I start my eggplant cubes in the microwave, then add them to whatever dish I am making, so neither salt nor much oil is required. Mushrooms and onions do well with minimum oil on very low heat too. Great flavor doesn't require loads of oil or salt. Flavor shines with moderation.

I looked up Scotch bonnet chile and it would be too hot for us. What would be a suitable substitute?

This was excellent. I couldn't find a Scotch bonnet, but a habanero worked as a substitute. And the leftovers made for a delicious work lunch a few days later. I may try adding some toasted cashews for texture next time. Only problem is that this is one of those "pile 2 skillets' worth of veggies into your skillet" recipes. Be prepared to lose some eggplant cubes during stirring until they all start to cook down a bit.

This recipe has incredible depth of flavor. I cooked it longer until almost all liquid was evaporated. The next day, I put the leftovers on toast for breakfast. YUM!

This is delicious and perfect for cold rainy evening meal. I did worry that the eggplant would not be tender, so I cut half inch slices and put them in the microwave with a wet paper towel for 6 minutes. I then sectioned them in cubes. Liked by all.

Flavorful and easy to prepare. Added a tsp of coconut sugar to balance the sour. Served with white rice.

This was indeed tasty. I just felt a note was missing. A friend searched for Yassa and learned that fermented locust bean powder was a key umami ingredient. Who knew? Also, I would shy away from red onions and stick with the yellow. I cut the eggplant into half-inch cubes instead let the dish simmer longer to ensure they cooked. It will be even better the next day I believe.

Added sliced carrots and chick peas to make as a standalone stew. No limes so substituted lemon. Delish.

Often have this issue w'husband. Found a smallish (3-5") banana yellow chili @ Farmer's Market this past year, mostly straight sided w'last 1/2 making a sharp tip. Have no idea name but a very 'bright' rather than HOT flavor that was perfect. Keep an eye out I think you will be impressed also!

Recommend adding some umani with the garlic and ginger. I added chili’s mushroom Laht sauce. I also pre-roasted the eggplant 10 min at 400 after salting and drying the cubes for 1 hour.

Also, I already had maitake and shiitake mushrooms, so used those instead of buttons. Fantastic!