Last week I stopped by a farm stand on my way home on Alberta. There’s a little lot that grows vegetables right there, and my friend Kusuma sells her fabulous, fabulous bread there as well. When I went to pick up a loaf of bread last week, I grabbed some of these beautiful eggplants as well.

And I went home and cooked them not an hour later. It was worth it.

And honestly? That was all I had for dinner that night. Probably not the most nutritionally well-rounded meal. But oh well!

If you’re in Portland, and especially if you commute through North Portland, you should definitely check out Blue House Green House Farms on N. Williams and Cook. They’re open on Tuesdays from 4-7 p.m. If you missed the Farmer’s Market on the weekend or just need to top up on some veggies, they’ve got you covered with a pretty wide variety and excellent quality of food.

Here’s what you need:
4 Thai eggplants
1/4 cup brown sugar, divided in half.
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
kosher salt

Toppings:
Fresh basil, chiffonaded
Sesame seeds

Wash the eggplants and slice into halves length-wise, so you get long planks.

Mix together 2 Tbsp. of the brown sugar with the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sesame oil and garlic. If you like, red pepper flakes would also be delicious.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the eggplant planks on it face up (purple down). Brush liberally with the sauce mixture, then sprinkle with the rest of the brown sugar. Salt liberally.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until you can easily stick a fork into the eggplants. Then, turn on the broiler for just a minute or two until the tops really start to caramelize. Remove to a serving platter and top with basil and sesame seeds.