Sweet and Sour Japanese Eggplant With Garlic Chips

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

60 ml (¼ cup) canola oil (or other neutral oil)

Kosher salt, to taste

450 g (1 lb / about 3 medium) Japanese eggplant, quartered lengthwise, then cut into 5 cm (2-inch) pieces

45 ml (3 tbsp) low-sodium soy sauce

25 g (2 tbsp) light brown sugar

15 ml (1 tbsp) rice vinegar

½–1 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste

15 g (½ cup) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

5 g (¼ cup) fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Method

Golden Crispy Garlic Glam


Toss your garlic slices and oil into a medium pan and heat gently over medium-low. Let the magic happen — garlic will bubble, then turn a dreamy golden brown in about 3–4 minutes. The second those bubbles settle down, strain everything through a small sieve over a heatproof bowl. Garlic chips go onto a paper towel and get a kiss of kosher salt. Save that gorgeous garlic oil — back into the skillet it goes!

Eggplant Love


Crank the heat to medium-high and add your eggplant in batches to the garlicky oil. As they shrink, make room and keep tossing. You're after golden cut sides and delightfully wrinkled skins — this takes 6–8 minutes of gentle stirring.

Sauce It Up

Lower the heat to medium-low. Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Let everything simmer together for 1–2 minutes until your eggplant is glossy, saucy, and irresistible.

Finish With a Flourish

Spoon the eggplant into your prettiest dish, shower with fresh herbs, and crown with those crispy garlic chips. Serve warm. Eat slowly. Swoon frequently.

Please watch the video below. Enjoy your adventure time in the kitchen.

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