Crispy Eggplant with Garlic Sauce
1 large eggplant, cut into large dice
1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup beer
1 tablespoon seasoning (I like paprika, chili powder, garlic powder)
salt and pepper, to taste
oil, for frying
1-2 tablespoon dark sesame oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons vegan hoisin sauce
water, as needed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 scallions, chopped
1. Place eggplant in a non-reactive colander. Salt well, and let sit for at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, make your batter. Combine beer, flour, and your preferred spices, salt and pepper. Whisk together with a fork, but don't stir too much or your lovely beer will go flat.
2. After salting the eggplant, brush off excess salt and press with a paper towel to get rid of the rest of the liquid. I microwave my eggplant for about 3 minutes just to pre-cook it, but I don't think that it's necessary. Heat the oil in a deep fry-pan.
3. Batter and fry the eggplant in batches and drain on paper towels. (This may take a while because you don't want to do too much in the pan at one time)
4. To make the sauce, gently saute the garlic and ginger in the sesame oil. After it's slightly browned, add the hoisin and water to cover. Simmer for 5-10 minutes (adding more water if necessary).
5. Add the soy sauce and scallions. Cook for about another minute, and cool slightly. It should thicken a bit. Serve the fried eggplant with the sauce over top or as a dipping sauce.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I followed this recipe pretty much exactly. I didn't add ginger because I don't like it. I didn't precook the eggplant, just fried it. Also, I didn't have scallions for the sauce.
I absolutely loved it!! The sauce was so freaken good, even without the scallions. I recommend at least doubling the sauce cause it is awesome & you will want to put it on other stuff. The fried eggplant turned out soft & pillowy on the inside & crunchy on the outside - perfect!! Also, wanted to add that this is my 1st experience frying eggplant. I used my electric wok & it was really easy. Will definitely make this again.
Fantastic! I broiled the eggplant to dry it out more, but we did everything else as stated. I served it as a side dish with lentils and quinoa. Thanks for a great recipe.