As D mentioned in the monthly traffic and income update I recently completed my first ever cooking class here in China. So bear with me while I organize all the photos and recipes, but don’t you worry, I have some delicious Chinese recipes coming soon to the blog!
Until then though, it’s grilled zucchini. In my mind, zucchini was just made to be grilled. Somehow with those added char lines the flavors seem to come alive. With all the different ways to prepare zucchini my favorite is always to grill it. Even just on the grill pan makes all the difference. No need to bust out the whole summer set up to prepare this dish – a simple IKEA grill pan does the trick.
As for the sauce – minced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. A splash of Asian flavors into the classic Italian creates a perfect international blend of flavors for a simple dinner side dish.
Go light on the oil to keep the dish as healthy as possible. This is something I think the Chinese have not quite mastered yet – oil free veggie sides. We’ve been in China for a little over 3 weeks now and without any kitchen access and therefore dining out all the time. We try to order veggie sides to add in some nutrition and healthy options. Well of the side’s we’ve ordered the veggies are frequently dripping with oil.
No joke.
Take your set of napkins and soak up the grease. It’s more like oil with a side of steamed bok choy. The search continues though! I am determined to find some veggie sides here without the oil.
In the meantime, I’ll sit back and think of my grilled zucchini days….
- 2 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.
- Add zucchini to pan and lightly grill on both sides until zucchini is soft.
- In a small bowl combine olive oil, soy sauce, balsamic and garlic.
- After zucchini is grilled using a knife make a few indentations in each slice, without cutting all the way through.
- Drizzle sauce over the zucchini and serve hot.
Welcome to Avocado Pesto! Long time foodie and travel enthusiast, I started this blog to share my curious culinary efforts and kitchen endeavors. Here you'll find a smorgasbord of ethnic cuisines and hopefully a few humorous tales too.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I took a Chinese cooking class at the high school last spring. Our instructor was a little old (she looked great for her age) Chinese lady; and every dish she taught was either marinated or cooked in lots of peanut oil.
This zucchini looks delish, I like that you added soy sauce to the vinaigrette.
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I have noticed in general that Asians look so great for their age! We stayed with a Japanese couple in Kyoto and I would have guessed they were 25-28ish when they were really 35 years old. They do use TONS of oil here – so many greasy meal it’s absurd! We have been trying to stay away from the super oily food and luckily were able to find a street food hot pot type soup stall today where everything was just boiled so that was a nice relief! Hope you enjoy the zucchini if you try it!
I love balsamic on zucchini. Looks great
Thanks! The combo of soy sauce, garlic and olive oil works really well!