WHIP THIS UP FOR YOUR STUDIO!

These pan-fried sweet and sour eggplants with chili garlic sauce are the perfect balance of soft, spicy, slightly sweet, and a little sour, making them irresistibly delicious! This super simple and flavorful vegan recipe is versatile enough to serve as a side dish, appetizer, or a main course when paired with rice as we did. Whip it up for your team, impress your clients, or treat yourself during your free lunch time at work!

SERVING: 10 PEOPLE  I  PREP. TIME: 20 MIN.  I  TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN

INGREDIENTS

• 5 Medium Eggplant
• 3.5 tsp salt
• 3.5 tbsp. cornstarch sauce (gluten free)
• 6 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 3.5 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 5 tbsp. water
• 3,5 tsp. cornstarch
• 7 tsp coconut sugar or other sugar For frying also you can use syrup

1. TO FRY

• 8.75 tbsp. peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 70 g chopped ginger
• 8 garlic cloves chopped
• 2.5 chili pepper chopped or 1/2 Habanero chili

2. TO SERVE

• 7 spring onions sliced into rings
• Sesame seeds
• Rice - Lime slices to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

• Cut the eggplants into sticks, leaving a little skin on each piece if possible.
  
• Place the eggplant in a large bowl, add the salt, mix well and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Then pat the eggplants dry, sprinkle with cornstarch, and mix. (If you find the eggplants too salty, you can also rinse them before dabbing them dry.)
  
• Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.
  
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick pan or wok over medium heat and fry the eggplants for approx. 5–8 minutes. Once the skin is well browned and the inside is soft, remove the eggplants and place on a plate.
  
• Add the remaining oil, ginger, garlic and chili to the same pan and stir-fry briefly until fragrant. Then return the eggplants to the pan.
  
• Stir the sauce again until the cornstarch has completely dissolved, and pour over the eggplants. Stir immediately until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens.
  
• Garnish the eggplants with spring onions and sesame seeds, and serve as a side dish or as a main course over rice or noodles with limes on the side.
  
• I like to garnish Chinese eggplants with fresh spring onions, sesame and some lime slices on the side. However, the toppings and garnishes are totally up to you! You can serve these sweet ^ sour eggplants either as a healthy side dish, a light starter or as a main course.
  
• If you like your dish juicier, prepare a bit more sauce; the sauce will always be a good accompaniment to this dish.