Hello friends, today is day 3 of the Thug Kitchen 21 Day Challenge and today I will be reviewing the Grilled Eggplant Soba Noodles found on page 61 of the Thug Kitchen: Official Cookbook.
I was curious to try this recipe as I am a big fan of soba noodles. If you haven’t tried them before, they are soft, dark grey noodles made of buckwheat and are gluten free (make sure the package specifies before purchasing). They take absolutely no time to cook and can be quite cheap if you source them from an international grocer (they are used a lot in asian style cooking).
This recipe was specifically recommended in the summer as eggplant and basil are cheapest in summer months, so I thought it would be a great recipe to add to the Thug Kitchen 21 day challenge.
There are 11 ingredients in this recipe, many which are super easy to find – and there are some pantry staples in this recipe as well, as I specified in my first post about the challenge. I found the steps in this recipe easy to follow – however I am not sure why they get you to slice the eggplant thick, grill and then dice afterwards, perhaps to make it easier to grill? However I would almost say to slice the eggplant lengthwise instead, grill it that way and then dice. Or, dice from the beginning and pan fry. I found the steps to grill the eggplant took a lot longer than expected.
The taste and texture of this recipe was delightful, however I think some crunch peanuts would be great on top, however I forgot to put sesame seeds on mine which I think would have helped. My tasting partner and I discussed the overall tartness of the eggplant with the marinade and although I found it refreshing, it was a bit overpowering. So I am not sure I would use up all the marinade when grilling the eggplant.
I found this very filling, the carbohydrate content is quite high in this recipe (51.8g per serving). Although this recipe is a good source of protein (12 g) I would suggest adding either tofu, edamame or salmon if you want to increase the protein content. It is also a great source of fibre (7.6 g).
As far as longevity, it is not bad, I think it lasted about two days in my fridge before getting pretty soggy. However, I like that this is a dish you can serve hot or cold, so it makes great leftovers.
I would make this recipe again, however it rated overall a 73% which is lower than some of my other reviews – just based on time it took for the eggplant and overall tartness in taste. A good solid meal however!
There you have it, has anyone else tried this recipe? Thoughts?
