Quick Crispy Chinese Eggplant with Sticky Garlic Sauce
This vegetable recipe is a spiced and savory way to prepare Chinese Eggplant. Crispy Chinese Eggplant with Sticky garlic Sauce is crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. Serve this recipe hot and drizzled with a ginger garlic sauce, before garnishing with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
This crispy eggplant recipe has easy steps and simple pantry ingredients. Fry spears of Chinese eggplant coated in rice flour before drizzling with a shaved ginger and garlic sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions over as a colorful garnish.
There are many varieties of eggplant. For this Crispy Chinese Eggplant Recipe, the long shape, firm texture and subtle sweetness Chinese eggplant works best.
You can also use Japanese Eggplant or Fairytale eggplant, just avoid globe (Italian) varieties of the aubergine as it is too bitter and the spears will not hold their shape well after frying.
This eggplant dish comes together quickly thanks to simple ingredients and a flash fry in oil (after a salt soak to soften the spears!)
Ingredients:
- Chinese Eggplant (or similar variety).
- Rice Flour
- Oil
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Oyster Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Green Scallion/ Sesame Seeds
Why this Eggplant Recipe Works:
Chinese eggplant is perfect for this recipe, full of subtle sweet flavor, a firm texture to hold it’s shape through a high heat fry and a long profile, perfect for this recipe. A light dusting of rice flour coats the eggplant, giving crunch in every bite, without a heavy oil logged breading. A light, homemade ginger garlic drizzle adds a punch of flavor. After a lengthy salt water soak, rendering the eggplant spears meltingly soft, this recipe is a warming, healthy meal option.
Flavor Variations for Crispy Chinese Eggplant:
Make it spicey! Add Szechuan pepper and add a kick of heat.
Mix hoisin or honey and add a touch of sweetness, omit brown sugar.
How to Serve Quick Crispy Chinese Eggplant with Sticky Garlic Sauce:
Serve over a bowl of steaming hot jasmine rice.
Start an Asian themed meal with this as a delicious appetizer.
Pair with stir-fried tofu or greens.
Storage/Reheating Instructions:
Store in air tight container in fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat in oven or air fryer until warm and crispy.
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
Yes! The coating already has gluten free rice flour, substitute Coconut Aminos for the soy sauce and omit the oyster sauce.
Can I bake this recipe instead of pan fry?
Yes, place coated eggplant on baking sheet, spray with oil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes until coating is crispy and center in soft.
Fried Chinese Eggplant with Ginger Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chinese Eggplant Sliced in Half
- 2 cups Water
- 3 tbsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 1 knob Ginger 1/2 inch
- 1 tsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Rice Flour
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tsp Sesame Seeds garnish
- 1 Green Onion Sliced
Instructions
- Slice Eggplant length wise.
- Mix water and sea salt in a medium bowl. Stir to dissolve.
- Add eggplant and soak for at least an hour and up to 3 hours.
- As the eggplant soaks, make the ginger garlic sauce.
- Grate ginger with a cheese grater using the finest setting.
- Mix ginger, garlic, brown sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce, incorporating into a sauce. Let sit.
- Drain the eggplant through a sieve after it has soaked up the salt water, draining completely.
- Bring oil to a medium high heat. before dredging slices of Chinese eggplant thru rice flour and dropping into the hot oil.
- Fry until the outer shells are crispy and golden, the centers of the eggplant soft; about 5-7 minutes. Carefully remove from hot oil and drain on plate covered with paper towel.
- Coat the eggplant while still hot with ginger garlic sauce and garnish with sesame seeds and pieces of green onion. Serve
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