Eggplant with Chili Garlic Sauce
Fried eggplant with chili garlic sauce. This sauce is very versatile, you can also use it for stir-frying chicken or any meat, and it’s a perfect glaze for your baked salmon.
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what you need to get:
Ο Large eggplant (1)
Ο Garlic cloves (4)
Ο Large red chili (1)
Ο Yellow onion (1)
Ο An inch size ginger
Ο Cornstarch (1/4 cup or more for coating)
Ο Neutral oil (3 tablespoons, more for frying)
Ο Salt
Ο Sesame oil
Ο Sesame seeds
Ο Handful of cilantro for garnish
FOR THE SAUCE:
Ο Soy sauce
Ο Oyster sauce
Ο Rice vinegar
Ο Brown sugar
Ο Cornstarch
tips on how to cook great tasting eggplant
- Cut the eggplant into bite-sized pieces or wedges. Don’t cut them too thin, you want to hold its shape.
- Eggplant has bitter taste. And to melow down that biterness, sprinkle salt, toss to coat. Once the eggplant starts sweating or you see moisture, rinse with water.
- Pat dry with a paper towel. Make sure to dry completely
- If you’re roasting the eggplant, turn your oven to high (around 450ºF). You’ll get a nice caramelization when using high heat.
- If you’re frying, coat them with flour or cornstarch. Eggplant absorb oil, so make sure to add more oil if needed to prevent from sticking to your pan.
- If you’re grilling the eggplant, cut them thicker and grease your grill well.
watch how to make it
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recipe
Eggplant with Chili Garlic Sauce
Equipment
- knife
- cutting board
- Bowl
- Strainer
- Wide pan or wide skillet
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
FOR THE EGGPLANT
- 1 large eggplant, cut into wedges
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cornstarch, for coating
- 3 tablespoons oil, for frying, add more if needed
FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
FOR STIR FRYING
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 red chili pepper, sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- handful of chopped cilantro, for garnish
- 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds,
Instructions
- Place the eggplant wedges in a bowl, add salt, toss to coat, let sit for 5-10 minutes to draw the moisture out.
- Meantime, make the sauce. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Mix until the sugar and cornstarch dissolve. Set it aside.
- Check the eggplant, when it starts sweating or you see moisture, place them on a strainer and rinse with water thoroughly.
- Place a paper towel on a sheet pan and dump the eggplant onto it. Get another piece of paper towel, dry them well. Coat the eggplant with cornstarch, toss, make sure all pieces are well coated.
- Heat a skillet with 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the eggplant, fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. If the pan is drying out, add more oil to avoid sticking. Fry in batches. Remove from heat and set them aside.
- Use the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion saute until tender. Add the garlic and ginger, continue sauteing until fragrant. Add the chili, continue stirring, cook until tender.
- Add the fried eggplant back into the pan. Add the sauce, stir, simmer for a minute or until the sauce thickened.
- Drizzle the sesame oil. Turn off the heat, garnish with cilantro and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Notes
- If you can’t find red chili pepper, just add about 1/2 teaspoon of red chili pepper flakes.
- You can use the sauce for marinating meat or other vegetables.
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Hi there! My name is Jen.
I’m a mom of 2 wonderful girls. I love to prepare and cook home-cooked meals. Cooking and planning your meals might sound like another chore added to your already long list of things to do. Believe me, I’ve been there. However, cooking more meals at home is worth all the effort. After years of cooking for my family and teaching culinary classes, I can honestly say that I have more control over the quality of the ingredients I use. That means I’m eating a lot healthier. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring or don’t have to eat the same thing repeatedly. There are ways we can do to naturally enhance the flavor of our food and enjoy home-cooked meals.