Sweet and Sour Eggplant With Garlic Chips

By Sue Li

Updated September 11, 2019

  • Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(3,366)
Comments
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This vibrant eggplant dish relies heavily on simple pantry staples, but gets its complex flavor from the clever use of garlic: First, you make garlic chips, then you fry eggplant in the remaining garlic-infused oil. Since garlic chips can burn easily, the key here is to combine the garlic and oil in an unheated pan for even cooking. As the oil heats up, the garlic will sizzle rapidly as the moisture cooks off. When it slows down, the garlic slices should be crisp. Be sure to remove the chips just as they begin to turn golden, as they will continue to cook after being removed from the oil. The rest is easy: Sauté the eggplant, create a quick soy sauce glaze, sprinkle with herbs and garlic chips, and serve.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

  • 4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

  • ¼ cup sunflower oil or other neutral oil

  • Kosher salt

  • 3 medium Japanese eggplants (about 1 pound total), quartered lengthwise then cut into 2-inch pieces

  • 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

  • ½ to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 4 servings)

30 grams carbs; 254 calories; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 13 grams fiber; 1050 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 19 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Set a small sieve over a heatproof bowl. Combine garlic and oil in a medium skillet and heat over medium-low. Cook garlic until light golden brown and crisp and the bubbles have subsided, 3 to 4 minutes, then quickly strain the garlic chips into the sieve set over the bowl. Transfer the garlic chips to a paper towel-lined plate, season with kosher salt and set aside. Transfer the garlic oil back to the skillet.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the garlic oil over medium-high. Add the eggplant in batches, adding more as they shrink in size and space permits, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cut sides of eggplant are golden-brown and skins are slightly wrinkled, 6 to 8 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and red-pepper flakes and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, tossing the eggplant to coat, until sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve topped with fresh herbs and garlic chips.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,366 user ratings
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Comments

ejb

I am addicted to this dish. As always, ignore the recommended garlic quantity and measure the slices out with your biting, burning, garlic-soaked, vampire-protected soul.

absolut_foodie

Great recipe as is, but to take it up a notch try using Chinese black vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar. This will make it more sour and add a depth of flavour that will suit lovers of strong & bold tastes.

bacongougere

This is stupidly delicious. I had to hide the garlic chips after making them so the hubby and I wouldn’t EAT THEM ALL before dinner. Added some mint into the basil/cilantro. Couldn’t find Japanese eggplant (hrmph) so subbed one medium more-oval-than-round Italian eggplant. I think it would be better with Japanese. Served with black rice, blistered green beans with garlic, ginger and sesame, and pre-made potstickers for a nice Friday evening dinner.

Lindsay

Delicious! I managed to find Chinese eggplant at the grocery store and it was excellent. The most time-consuming step was prepping the garlic, but it was worth it. We used all the garlic chips in the first serving, so I used crispy onions on the leftovers and they also worked great. Served with basmati rice, and served leftovers with udon. You can't go wrong either way!

S

@Hope I think this dish would freeze well, with the herbs too. (I've bought frozen aubergine, clearly shallow fried before flash freezing. Which comes with a sauce sachet to add separately so you can brown the aubergine first). Bake or pan-fry to reheat the dish.

Sheila Pulver

Magnificent! I'd be so happy to be served this in a restaurant. I never like frying things in hot oil but this was well worth it: tender charred eggplant in an easy Asian sauce, with pale gold crisp garlic chips and a shower of fresh herbs on a bowl of thin spaghetti. Yum!

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