Based on the Lazy Cat Kitchen recipe.
Ingredients:
4 or 5 finger eggplant.
approx. 1 tbsp wheat starch
2 tbsp peanut oil (or other oil suitable for frying)
2 spring onions, sliced thinly
1 chilli, diced (optional)
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2.5 cm piece of ginger, grated
Fresh coriander
SAUCE
2 tbsp / 40 ml soy sauce
4 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey or sugar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour (dissolved in 2 tbsp of water)
Method:
- Cut eggplants into 3-4 thick slices and then each slice into wedges lengthwise.
- Toss the eggplant in the wheat starch to coat.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan, on medium heat. Once the oil warms up, place the eggplant pieces in the pan and fry until gently charred on the outside and cooked through. Rotate the pieces around the pan to make sure they brown evenly on all sides. You may need to fry the aubergine in batches if your pan is small. Once ready, set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil and 3 tbsp of water. In another small bowl, combine ½ tbsp cornflour with 2 tbsp of water to thicken the sauce with later.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add spring onions and sliced chilli (if using). Stir fry until soft (about 1-2 minutes), then add diced ginger and garlic – fry until they both soften and become fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Push the aromatics to the side of the pan and pour in the sauce, followed by the cornflour slurry. Mix the two well. Simmer the sauce gently for a few seconds so that it can thicken.
- Stir in grilled eggplant to warm it up gently. Serve over a bowl of steaming hot rice and garnish with coriander.