Eggplant Braised in Sour Cream with Garlic

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make eggplant braised in sour cream with garlic? Gather your ingredients. This dish is best made in the fall, when vegetables are at their ripest and most flavorful. Ideally, use small, firm eggplants. But you can treat yourself any time of year — a larger eggplant will just be bigger and prettier, with glossy skin. Use whatever vegetable oil you have; sunflower or olive oil both work.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the eggplant well, cut off the stem end, and dice it. The cubes can be whatever size you like, but don't cut them too small or the finished dish can turn to mush. How do you get rid of the bitterness in eggplant? Salt the diced eggplant and let it sit for about 10 minutes, until it releases its juices. Drain off the liquid, rinse the eggplant, and start cooking.

3. Step 3:

   

   Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan or skillet. Add the eggplant and fry it lightly over medium heat until golden, stirring as it cooks. If you soaked the eggplant in water beforehand, dry it well so the oil doesn't splatter as it fries.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add salt. It's better not to salt the eggplant at the very end — salting it now gives it time to release its liquid, which cooks off during braising, so the dish won't turn out watery.

5. Step 5:

   

   Peel and mince the garlic and add it to the eggplant. I grate the cloves, but you can also chop them with a knife or press them through a garlic press. Sauté everything together for about three minutes, stirring.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the sour cream — any fat content works. If you happen to be out of sour cream, you can substitute cream, ideally a heavier one.

7. Step 7:

   

   Simmer everything together for another 7–10 minutes. Keep an eye on the eggplant so the cubes stay firm and hold their shape.

8. Step 8:

   

   Serve the dish on its own, as a side, or as a salad. It's delicious both hot and cold. Enjoy!