Cornstarch-Fried Eggplant in Soy-Honey Marinade

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather all the ingredients. Use fresh, field-grown eggplant, ideally from the new crop — those tend to be smallish with a matte skin.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the eggplant, cut off the stem end, and cut it into medium pieces however you like. Mine were small, so I sliced them into half-moons. Eggplant used to be soaked in salt water to draw out bitterness. Today's varieties don't need soaking, since they aren't bitter.

3. Step 3:

   

   Toss the eggplant with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. This helps it come out crispy and keeps it from soaking up too much oil. Any starch works — corn or potato.

4. Step 4:

   

   Heat vegetable oil in a skillet: any vegetable oil is fine, but since we're frying, it must be refined. Add the eggplant.

5. Step 5:

   

   Fry the eggplant until crisp on all sides, stirring occasionally. Then take it out of the pan.

6. Step 6:

   

   Peel the onion and one clove of garlic and dice them.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add them to the same pan and fry until golden, about 5 minutes.

8. Step 8:

   

   Seed the bell pepper and cut it into strips. It's best to leave the chili whole so you don't release its seeds — that keeps the dish milder.

9. Step 9:

   

   Add both peppers to the pan and fry everything together for another 5 minutes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Return the eggplant to the pan and stir everything together.

11. Step 11:

    

    Meanwhile, make the marinade. Add honey to the soy sauce. Use naturally fermented soy sauce, and preferably a runny honey.

12. Step 12:

    

    Stir in the remaining cornstarch.

13. Step 13:

    

    Add the minced garlic. I ran mine through a press, but you can grate it on a fine grater or chop it with a knife.

14. Step 14:

    

    Stir the marinade until smooth, with no cornstarch lumps.

15. Step 15:

    

    Pour the marinade into the pan.

16. Step 16:

    

    Wash and chop the cilantro. Add it to the pan and stir everything together.

17. Step 17:

    

    Sprinkle the finished dish with sesame seeds.

18. Step 18:

    

    Serve right away. Enjoy!