- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 6 (4 ounce) Japanese eggplants
- 4 jalapeno chiles, preferably a mix of green and red
- 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- To make the dressing, combine lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Slice off eggplant tops; discard. Place trimmed eggplants with jalapenos on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or a gas grill on high (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds). Turn frequently until skins are deeply charred and wrinkled and the inside flesh is softened and cooked through, about 15 minutes. As they are done, remove jalapenos and eggplants from grill and place in a paper bag; close it tightly and allow them to steam. When cool enough to handle, remove from bag and peel off the charred skin.
- Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise into quarters. Use your hands to shred eggplants into long pieces. Remove stems and seeds from chiles , and slice them lengthwise into narrow strips.
- Toss eggplant and chile strips gently with dressing. Sprinkle with shallots and cilantro and serve at room temperature.