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Jarrah's amazing eggplant

Name: Next Practice
Address: Level 11, 1 Macquarie Place, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
Price range: $

Posted 23 Oct 2020

So I used to visit this little hole in the wall dumpling house in China town, back in a uni life, pre kids when the priorities for a meal were cheap and tasty. My flatmates and I would get a big plate of pork and chive dumplings and this sweet sticky garlic eggplant dish. Here is my version!&

Ingredients:

1 whole eggplant (or 2-4 small ones)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tsp of kecap manis (if you have - can omit if you don't have or substitute for some oyster sauce)
1-2 teaspoons sugar (I used coconut sugar)
Olive oil for cooking
2 teaspoons ginger, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Instructions:

Chop eggplant into 2cm size pieces and spread out on paper or clean cloth towel. Sprinkle surfaces with salt. Allow to rest for 45-60 minutes. Pat dry without rinsing.
Warm a splash of olive oil in pan and cook garlic and ginger until cooked through, careful not to burn or it will be bitter. Add Soy and sugar and simmer until sauce is a little thick. Approx 5 minutes.
Sprinkle eggplant with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix by hand, until eggplant is evenly coated with with a thin layer of cornstarch.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a big non-stick skillet (or pan) and heat over medium heat until hot. Spread eggplant in the skillet without overlapping. Cook the eggplant one side at a time until all the surfaces are lightly charred and the eggplant turns soft, approx 10 minutes. Pour your sweet sticky sauce over your eggplant lightly toss.
Serve and enjoy!