Grilled Eggplant with Scallion Oil
This ca tim nuong recipe grills whole Asian eggplants over high heat until the flesh turns smoky and soft, then splits them open and spoons over hot scallion oil, garlic and crushed peanut. One serving is about 188 g. This ca tim nuong recipe serves 4 in 30 minutes and works as a vegetable side or a light dinner with rice.
Ca tim nuong is a home-style Vietnamese dish: long Asian eggplants cooked whole over charcoal until the skin blackens and the flesh inside turns soft and smoky, then split open and dressed with mo hanh, the hot scallion oil that appears across Vietnamese cooking. It is the kind of dish that comes off the grill at family meals and street-side restaurants alike, eaten with rice and whatever soup or grilled meat is on the table. This version keeps the scallion oil plain — oil, scallion and salt, with no fish sauce — so it stays vegetarian.
Pairs well with: Steamed rice, a bowl of canh soup and grilled pork or tofu.
Provenance
Vietnam
Vietnamese Home Cooking
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
30m
10m prep • 20m cook
Batch Yield
4 Servings
190 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 188 g
Technical Skill
Easy
Easy (Grill)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Hearty Midday Main
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Vietnamese Home Cooking
Photo: Memberofc1, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $1–2 per serving at home (USD)
Made the home way: whole eggplants grilled until they collapse, peeled while hot, scallion oil poured over while the flesh is still steaming.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Chop, Crush & Heat the Oil
10 Mins • Chopping & Heating
Chop the scallions and garlic, crush the peanuts, and slice the chilli. Heat the oil in a small pan until it shimmers, then pour it over the scallions and garlic in a heatproof bowl — it will sizzle and turn bright green.
Maestro Tip: Pour the hot oil over the scallions, not the other way round: the sizzle is what wilts them without cooking them to mush.
5 Mins Medium heat, oil ~160°C (320°F)
Put the chopped scallions, garlic and salt in a heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat until it shimmers and a scallion tip dropped in sizzles at once — about 160°C (320°F). Pour the hot oil over the scallions and stir once.
If the oil smokes, it is too hot — take it off the heat for a minute or the scallions will taste bitter.
Done when: Bright green, wilted scallions in shimmering oil, smelling sweet and oniony.
15 Mins Grill or broiler, 220°C (425°F)
Place the whole eggplants on a hot grill or under a broiler at 220°C (425°F). Cook for 12–15 minutes, turning every 3–4 minutes, until the skin is blackened in places and the eggplants feel completely soft and collapsed when pressed with tongs.
Prick each eggplant once with a fork before grilling so steam can escape and the skin does not burst.
Done when: Eggplants that slump and give easily when pressed, with wrinkled, charred skin.
5 Mins Still hot from the grill, ~90°C (194°F)
Move the eggplants to a plate and, while they are still hot, peel away the blackened skin in strips — it should come off easily. Split each eggplant open lengthways and spread the soft flesh flat, keeping the stem attached.
Peel while hot: once the eggplant cools, the skin sticks and the flesh tears.
Done when: Pale, soft flesh, steaming, with the smoky skin removed.
5 Mins Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Stir the sugar into the soy sauce, drizzle it over the eggplant flesh, then spoon the scallion oil over the top. Scatter the crushed peanuts and chilli over everything and serve at once, while the eggplant is still warm.
Dress it at the table if you can — the hot scallion oil on warm flesh is the whole point of the dish.
Done when: Soft, smoky eggplant glistening with scallion oil and topped with golden peanut.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve warm, straight off the grill, with steamed rice alongside. The eggplant is best eaten within minutes of dressing, while the flesh is still soft and the scallion oil is still warm.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
190
kcal / serving
Protein
4g
Complete AA
Carbs
14g
Complex
Fats
15g
Healthy
| Energy | 190 kcal |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Fibre | 5.5 g |
| Sugar | 7.3 g |
| Sodium | 308 mg |
| Energy | 101 kcal |
| Protein | 2.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.3 g |
| Fat | 7.8 g |
| Fibre | 2.9 g |
| Sugar | 3.9 g |
| Sodium | 164 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Eggplant supplies vitamin K and B6, scallions add vitamin C and K, and peanuts add vitamin E and magnesium.
Fibre from Eggplant
Each serving carries 5.5 g of fibre from the eggplant alone, which helps the dish feel filling for only 190 kcal.
Low in Calories
At 190 kcal per serving, grilled eggplant is one of the lightest hot vegetable dishes — the oil is the only rich part.
Healthy Fats from Peanut
The crushed peanuts add mostly unsaturated fats plus vitamin E and magnesium, in a small crunchy handful.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Steamed Rice
Plain rice soaks up the scallion oil and soy sauce and turns the eggplant into a full meal.
Soups
Canh Soup
A light Vietnamese soup beside the smoky eggplant gives the meal a fresh, brothy balance.
Drinks
Iced Tea
Unsweetened iced tea cools the chilli and cleanses the palate between bites of oily eggplant.
Vegetables
Grilled Tofu
Firm grilled tofu adds protein to a vegetable dish and takes the same scallion oil beautifully.
Complete menu
Serve the eggplant with steamed rice, a light canh soup and grilled pork or tofu — the rice soaks up the scallion oil and the soup balances the smoky eggplant.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Extra Soy Sauce at the Table
One serving already carries 308 mg of sodium, mostly from the soy sauce, so more sauce on top pushes a light vegetable dish too far. Taste before you add anything. This is general food information, not medical advice.
Eating It Cold the Next Day
Grilled eggplant firms up and loses its smoky softness once chilled, and reheating dries it out. Eat it fresh off the grill. This is general food information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
