Grilled Eggplant Tahini Satay Kebabs {vegan, gluten free & nut free}

These Grilled Eggplant Kebabs are grilled until soft and lightly caramelised in a tahini satay marinade. A fun twist on the traditional satay recipes that is vegan, nut free & gluten free.

The creation of this recipe has been sponsored by Barbeques Galore.

Tahini and I have had a bit of a love affair of late. Ever since I had to give up dairy I’ve been looking for ways to up my calcium intake. With 3 times the calcium of milk, tahini is an easy and delicious addition to my daily routine.

So it was a bit of a no-brainer to swap out the usual peanut butter found in satay recipes for tahini in this grilled eggplant satay recipe I’d been working in. Not only is tahini high in calcium, but I prefer it to peanut butter. 

As winter draws to a close here in Australia, its time to bring the barbeque out of its winter hibernation, and this along with my ginger, carrot and quinoa burgers are a great way to put it to good use.

These kebabs are dead easy.

Simply whisk the marinade ingredients together and add the chopped eggplant and leave to marinade for 30 minutes.

That’s enough time to get the barbeque going. If you don’t have a barbeque you can use a grill pan on your stove top. 

After threading the eggplant onto presoaked skewers the kebabs are cooked low and slow on the grill. Slow cooking allows for the eggplant to cook all the way through, and it also stops the marinade from burning.

If you are using a barbeque with a lid (such as the Barbeques Galore Ziegler & Brown brand of BBQs) close the lid to help the grilled eggplant cook all the way through. If you’re going the stovetop route, cover your pan with a large lid, if you have one.

Serve with a crunchy salad. They’d also be wonderful in tacos or soft wraps as well, with a drizzle of the left-over satay marinade, topped with salad a squeeze of lime and toasted white or black sesame seeds.

Print

Grilled Eggplant Tahini Satay Kebabs

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Jennifer Schmidt

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbs kecap manis
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
• 2 tsp finely chopped shallot
• 1 large eggplant

Instructions

1. Place all of the ingredients except the eggplant in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Cut the eggplant into 2 1/2 cm (1 inch) cubes) and add the the marinade. Toss to combine and leave for 30 minutes to marinate. Meanwhile soak 8 skewers in water.
3. Preheat your barbecue to a medium low heat otherwise place a grill pan over a medium low heat on the stove. Thread the eggplant onto the skewers and tap to remove excess marinade.
4. Brush the barbecue with a little oil and grill for 5 to 7 minutes each side. If you are using a barbecue with a lid (such as the Barbeques Galore Ziegler & Brown brand of BBQs) close the lid to help the grilled eggplant cook all the way through. If you’re going the stovetop route, cover your pan with a large lid.
5. Remove the kebabs from the grill and brush with a little marinade and serve with remaining marinade and a crunchy salad.

Recipe Notes

Kecap manis is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce. If you don't have kecap manis replace with 1 tbs regular soy sauce and 1 tsp maple syrup or brown rice syrup.

This recipe was sponsored by Barbeques Galore. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep Delicious Everyday delivering free recipes to your kitchen!