Chili Garlic Sautéed Eggplant

Serves 2

Eggplant 

2-3 long Japanese or Chinese eggplants, cut into ~1” long wedges

salt

2-3 tbsp. cup cooking oil*

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

Sauce

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. minced ginger

3 tbsp. chili garlic

4 tsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tsp. natural peanut butter

Additional Ingredients

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion

  1. cut eggplant into ~1-1.5” wedges and sprinkle liberally with salt. Place in a colander and let eggplant drain for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, stir together all sauce ingredients.

  3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, and heat throughly. Wipe off excess moisture from eggplant, and place in skillet in a single layer, being careful not to overcrowd the pan too much. Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes.

  4. Turn off heat, add sauce and toss to coat. Let cook from the residual heat of the pan for 2-3 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and green onion.

Tips

  • Normally, I like to cook mostly with olive oil, but a better frying oil for this recipe I would recommend something like canola oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil.

  • Make sure not to overcrowd the pan too much. If you want to make a large portion, you may want to fry in 2 batches.

Ben Mastracco