The first female executive chef at storied restaurant Canlis has been there for a little over a year. Aisha Ibrahim is a Filipino woman, an immigrant whose family is Muslim, and she’s gay.
Since moving to Seattle, she said the LGBTQ+ community here has been amazing unlike where she grew up in West Virginia, which was not a very diverse place.
Ibrahim joined the show to share one of her mother's recipes for an eggplant omelet, using Chinese eggplant. Her mother ate this dish often when she was pregnant and made it for her daughter for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now it is one of Ibrahim's favorite dishes.
Eggplant Zurita
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Eggplant
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp water
- Large pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp of butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place eggplant directly over the gas burner and char the skin.
2. Once all charred, place in a metal bowl and cover with foil or plastic wrap to let the eggplant steam itself.
3. While letting the eggplant sit, whisk the egg, yolk, water, and salt together in a bowl and set aside
4. After the eggplant is slightly cooled, peel the charred skin off of the eggplant with a pairing knife
5. Add butter to a pan and swirl around until it starts to brown
6. Dip the eggplant into the egg mixture (like french toast) and add to the pan, cooking over medium-high heat. At this point, you may add as much of the egg mixture as you’d like to the pan.
7. You want the egg to be a little puffy and golden brown on the outside. Once you’ve achieved this color, flip it to finish cooking and pull off of the heat.
Chef Aisha eats this at home over rice and a mixture of soy sauce and citrus juice or vinegar.
Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.