Fried Eggplants with Doubanjiang Sauce

Fried Eggplants with Doubanjiang Sauce

Extremely crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. This is personally my favorite vegan dish of all time.

Salting the eggplant beforehand is key to this recipe. It allows for a crispy outside and a perfectly salted eggplant.

Ingredients

2 eggplants

1 tbsp kosher salt 

1 scallion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

¼ cup carrot, finely cubed

¼ cup red paprika, finely cubed

¼ cup yellow paprika, finely cubed

1 tbsp potato starch

1 tbsp neutral oil 

Neutral oil for frying

Sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce (Use vegan oyster sauce if you want it to be plant-based!)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp doubanjiang

1 tsp minced garlic 

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp chili oil (optional)

1 tsp sesame oil 

1 tbsp water

1. Cut the eggplants into large chunks. The key is so that the eggplant has 4 exposed sides so it can get extra crispy. Do this by cutting the eggplant on a slanted edge and rotating while cutting. 
2. Put the eggplant chunks into a large bowl and salt. Rest for 15 minutes. This process helps draw out some of the moisture from the eggplant. 
3. Squeeze out excess moisture using a kitchen towel. 
4. Coat the eggplant in potato starch.
5. Prepare a heavy-duty pot to fry the eggplants. 
6. Gently drop the coated eggplant into the oil. Fry at 165 for 3-4 minutes. At this point, it should be a pale golden color.
7. Take the eggplant out of the oil and onto a wired baking tray. 
8. Crank the oil temperature up to 175C and double fry for 1 minute or until golden brown. 
9. Serve with sauce on top. Enjoy!

Sauce

1. In a saucepan, add neutral oil, scallions, and garlic. Sautee at high heat for 1 minute. 
2. Add the cubed carrot and sautee for another 1 minute. 
3. Then add the paprika and saute for another 1 minute. 
4. Add the sauce in and simmer until thickened. 

Fried Eggplants with Doubanjiang Sauce

4 from 144 votes

Recipe by Doobydobap Course: Dinner, Main CourseCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants

• 1 tbsp kosher salt

• 1 scallion, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced

• ¼ cup carrot, finely cubed

• ¼ cup red paprika, finely cubed

• ¼ cup yellow paprika, finely cubed

• 1 tbsp potato starch

• 1 tbsp neutral oil

• Neutral oil for frying

• Sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce (Use vegan oyster sauce if you want it to be plant-based!)

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp doubanjiang

• 1 tsp minced garlic

• 1 tsp minced ginger

• 1 tsp chili oil (optional)

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tbsp water

instructions

• Cut the eggplants into large chunks. The key is so that the eggplant has 4 exposed sides so it can get extra crispy. Do this by cutting the eggplant on a slanted edge and rotating while cutting.
• Put the eggplant chunks into a large bowl and salt. Rest for 15 minutes. This process helps draw out some of the moisture from the eggplant.
• Squeeze out excess moisture using a kitchen towel.
• Coat the eggplant in potato starch.
• Prepare a heavy-duty pot to fry the eggplants.
• Gently drop the coated eggplant into the oil. Fry at 165 for 3-4 minutes. At this point, it should be a pale golden color.
• Take the eggplant out of the oil and onto a wired baking tray.
• Crank the oil temperature up to 175C and double fry for 1 minute or until golden brown.
• Serve with sauce on top. Enjoy!
• Sauce
• In a saucepan, add neutral oil, scallions, and garlic. Sautee at high heat for 1 minute.
• Add the cubed carrot and sautee for another 1 minute.
• Then add the paprika and saute for another 1 minute.
• Add the sauce in and simmer until thickened.

Recipe Video

Notes

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