Simple Braised Eggplant with Pepper
Braised eggplant is a simple vegan dish perfect for everyday meals. Each piece of eggplant, after cooking, becomes rich in flavor with the distinctive aroma of pepper, making it an ideal accompaniment to hot rice.
Table of Contents
Eggplant is a widely popular vegetable around the world and is prepared in various ways across different cuisines. In Italy, Eggplant Parmigiana is a widely beloved dish, while in Asian cuisines such as Chinese or Vietnamese, braised, steamed, or grilled eggplant is more popular. Among these, braised eggplant has a more complex preparation process compared to steamed or grilled eggplant, but it compensates by saving cooking time and is also incredibly flavorful. Moreover, this is a vegetarian dish; if you follow a vegetarian diet, don’t miss out on this recipe!
Ingredients for Braised Eggplant
The ingredients for braised eggplant with pepper are quite simple, including eggplant, familiar spices like shallots, garlic, pepper, sugar, salt, and finally, the characteristic Asian seasonings, soy sauce and chili sauce.
Here is the recipe for braised eggplant, enough for 2 servings:
- 1 big eggplant
- 1 tbsp shallots
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp chili sauce (optional)
- A handful of green onions
You can adjust the amounts of soy sauce, pepper, and sugar slightly to suit your taste. Chili sauce is nice to have as it adds a bit of spiciness to the dish. If you don’t like spicy food, feel free to skip it.
Cooking Instruction
Step 1. Preparation
- After washing the eggplant, cut it into slices or pieces about 1.5 cm thick. Soak the slices in a saltwater mixture (500ml water, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp lemon juice) for about 3-5 minutes. Soaking the eggplant in saltwater helps prevent browning and removes some of the bitterness.
- Finely chop the shallots. Chop the green onions and set them aside for garnishing the dish later.
- Divide the garlic into two equal parts: crush one part (for frying with the eggplant) and finely mince the other part (for braising).
Step 2. Fry the Eggplant
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil to the pan, then add the crushed garlic and the eggplant slices. When one side of the eggplant turns golden brown, flip them over and continue frying until they are fully cooked. Set aside.
Step 3. Braise the Eggplant
- In the same pan, add 1 tsp of cooking oil. Sauté the minced shallots and garlic until fragrant. Then, add the pepper, soy sauce, chili sauce, and 100ml of water, stirring well. Once the soy sauce mixture comes to a boil, add the eggplant and braise until the liquid is reduced. Turn off the heat.
- Finally, garnish the dish with green onions and a sprinkle of pepper before serving. Enjoy!
Storing and Reheating
For this braised eggplant dish, it’s best to enjoy it immediately to maintain its quality. If you need to save it for the next meal, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours. When reheating, use a microwave or cook it on the stove for a few minutes.
Simple Braised Eggplant with Pepper
Ingredients
- 1 big eggplant
- 1 tbsp shallots
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp chili sauce optional
- A handful of green onions
Instructions
Step 1. Preparation
- After washing the eggplant, cut it into slices or pieces about 1.5 cm thick. Soak the slices in a saltwater mixture (500ml water, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp lemon juice) for about 3-5 minutes. Soaking the eggplant in saltwater helps prevent browning and removes some of the bitterness.
- Finely chop the shallots. Chop the green onions and set them aside for garnishing the dish later.
- Divide the garlic into two equal parts: crush one part (for frying with the eggplant) and finely mince the other part (for braising).
Step 2. Fry the Eggplant
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil to the pan, then add the crushed garlic and the eggplant slices. When one side of the eggplant turns golden brown, flip them over and continue frying until they are fully cooked. Set aside.
Step 3. Braise the Eggplant
- In the same pan, add 1 tsp of cooking oil. Sauté the minced shallots and garlic until fragrant. Then, add the pepper, soy sauce, chili sauce, and 100ml of water, stirring well. Once the soy sauce mixture comes to a boil, add the eggplant and braise until the liquid is reduced. Turn off the heat.
- Finally, garnish the dish with green onions and a sprinkle of pepper before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Do you like this recipe? Brighten my day by rating the recipe and clicking the “save” button to have this recipe right on your Pinterest board. Also, let’s be friends on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok!