Chinese-Style Eggplant
An easy, tasty take on Chinese-style eggplant — simple and full of flavor! The key here is balancing sweet and sour, so be ready to adjust the sauce to your own taste. A little minced garlic wouldn't hurt, either.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
To make Chinese-style eggplant, gather your eggplant along with a good soy sauce, granulated sugar, a little salt, vinegar (I used natural apple cider vinegar), honey, water, vegetable oil, and starch (I used cornstarch).
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Step 2:
Rinse the eggplant and trim off the ends. Cut it into small batons, sprinkle with salt, toss, and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to draw out any bitterness eggplant can sometimes have.
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Step 3:
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet, add the eggplant pieces, and fry, stirring often, until lightly browned. Pour in half a cup of water, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
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Step 4:
In a separate bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, honey, the remaining half cup of water, and the starch until smooth. Pour this sauce into the skillet with the eggplant.
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Step 5:
Stir the eggplant into the sauce and, once it comes to a boil, simmer for a few minutes. You can serve this eggplant hot, warm, or chilled. To finish, top it with chopped fresh herbs and a sprinkle of white or black sesame seeds if you like.
- Along with the eggplant, you can fry up some strips of bright bell pepper too — even a mix of colors. It makes the dish even more interesting and gives it a colorful look.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Eggplant - 24 kcal/100g
- Honey - 400 kcal/100g
- Soy sauce - 51 kcal/100g
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Starch - 320 kcal/100g
- Wine vinegar (3%) - 9 kcal/100g
- Vinegar 9% - 11 kcal/100g
- Balsamic vinegar - 88 kcal/100g
- Apple vinegar - 14 kcal/100g
- Vinegar - 11 kcal/100g
- Vegetable oil - 873 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Water - 0 kcal/100g
