I particularly love the sauce for the eggplant—try it on chicken, pork, and Asian noodles, too. A common misconception is that olive oil is too flavorful for Asian cooking, but that myth was dispelled some time ago by Melissa Wong, a great friend of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club and a consummate foodie. You’ll read more about Melissa in the Pressing Report that comes with our next quarterly shipment of olive oils—she’s the force behind one of my amazing Australian selections. If you’re not currently a member of the Club, please click here to join now, so you don’t miss my sumptuous trio of Oz oils in September.
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes, more to taste
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
For the eggplant:
- 2 small purple or white Chinese eggplant (about 8 ounces), sliced into 1/2-inch discs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions
Step 1
Make the sauce: In a small dish, dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water; set aside. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, garlic, and ginger, and cook until the aromatics soften. Add in the rice wine vinegar, sugar, water, chili flakes, and soy sauce. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Add in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
Step 2
Make the eggplant: To extract excess water, place the eggplant discs in a colander set over a bowl and toss with the salt. After 15 minutes, rinse with cold water, then pat dry with paper towels.
Step 3
Heat a large skillet or flat-bottom wok. Coat the eggplant discs with the cornstarch. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil, garlic, and ginger and cook until the aromatics soften (don’t let them burn). Add the eggplant in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until brown on both sides.
Step 4
Transfer the eggplant to a serving bowl and top with 1/2 cup sauce; serve the rest separately.
Yields 4 servings