Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce

The eggplant is grilled until crispy and smoky, and then cooked in a rich savory garlic sauce. This vegan dish is very satisfying, both as a side or a main dish served over rice or noodles.

Eggplant is a very tricky vegetable to cook. If you don’t season it properly, it will taste bitter or extremely plain. If you use too little oil, the texture will be mushy and create an awful mouthfeel. If you use too much oil, the eggplant might turn soggy and greasy.

• Eggplant is quite time consuming to cook, compared to the average vegetable.
• You’ll end up eating more calories without getting an impressive flavor.

1. You have to prepare the eggplant properly before cooking in order to get the right texture.
2. You need to make a sauce that is flavorful enough.

To prepare the eggplant, there are two ways to do it.

Before introducing the first method, I want to thank my friend Steve S. He taught me this method quite a long time ago, to prevent the eggplant from absorbing oil.

The method is:

1. Spread the sliced eggplant on a towel.
2. Sprinkle Kosher salt on both surfaces of the sliced eggplant.
3. Allow to rest for 45-60 minutes.
4. Pat each surface dry.
5. Do not rinse the eggplant.

The second way is:

1. Place the eggplant in a large bowl and add water to cover.
2. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, mix well.
3. Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant under water for 15 minutes.
4. Drain and pat dry

The second method requires a bit more effort, but it saves a bit of time. Both ways yield great results.

Once you’ve finished either of the methods above, there is one more step – after the eggplant is completely dry, sprinkle cornstarch over it and mix by hand, until the eggplant is evenly coated with a thin layer of cornstarch.

Using this method, you can create crispy and nicely charred eggplant on the stovetop in 10 minutes. No need to turn on the oven to get the smoky flavor!

Creating a good sauce is really easy. Just mix everything together and pour it over the eggplant at the end of cooking.

Sauce:

Cooking oil: Use either vegetable or canola oil
Garlic: Finely minced for the best texture
Ginger: Makes the sauce taste brighter
Green chilis: The recipe calls for 1 but feel free to add more if you like spicy food
Soy Sauce: Or make it gluten-free by using tamari
Chicken broth: Make it vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth
Vinegar: Adds a light sourness that tastes damn good
Brown sugar: Sweet, spicy, and sour – is your mouth watering yet?
Sesame oil: Because sesame oil is incredible in Asian cuisine
Crushed red pepper flakes: For even more spice
Cornstarch slurry: Thickens the sauce so it’s not so watery

Cook the garlic, ginger, and chili. Cook just until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Add everything but the cornstarch slurry. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 minute.
Add cornstarch slurry. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue to cook until thickened.
Serve right away or cool before storing for later use.

Chinese Garlic Sauce Variations:
There are quite a few ways you can doctor up this recipe.

Add 1-2 more tablespoons of minced garlic: For all you garlic lovers.
Add another chili pepper: This will make the sauce extra hot.
Add Sriracha sauce: This will add more spice and flavor.