Meet Chef Kiara Riley

Chef Kiara Riley 

Meet Chef Kiara Riley, the passionate force behind Kiara’s Enterprise and one of Barbados’ rising culinary talents. Kiara has always loved cooking and baking as it is a talent inherited from her family. Upon completing her Associate Degree at the Barbados Community College, Chef Riley’s talent was recognised on the international stage at the Toast of the Nation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, her first global culinary competition. There she made a remarkable debut, walking away with two Best of Shows, 4 Golds, and 2 Silver Medals. 

About the Recipe

Chef Riley chose to make this recipe to give people another way to eat eggplant. This recipe is simple, quick and flavourful, yet contains ingredients that the average Bajan would be able to recognise, like chutney. Creating this recipe allowed her to use common household ingredients to produce a dish that even children can make and allows people to utilise a vegetable in a more upbeat form. 

Roasted Aubergine (Eggplant) Chutney 

Servings: 3-4 

Ingredients

• 3 medium eggplants
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 medium onion (diced) 
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of vinegar
• 2 cinnamon sticks 
• 2 star of anise
• 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil 
• Salt 
• Pepper 

Method

1. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. 
2. Turn the burner on a gas stove on medium heat and place the eggplant directly on an open flame. 
3. Roast the eggplant for 15 to 20 minutes turning every 5 minutes. (The eggplant is fully roasted when the skin is black and flaky, and the flesh is soft.)
4. Transfer the fire-roasted eggplant onto a pan and cover with cling wrap. Allow to cool and remove the skin. 
5. Roughly chop the eggplant’s flesh and set aside. 
6. In a medium – sized saucepan on medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger and eggplant. 
7. Add cinnamon, star anise, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil and then simmer. 
8. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning if needed. 
9. Reduce the chutney to your desired thickness. 
10. Remove saucepan from the heat, allow to cool and serve.