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Eggplant, Braised Sweet and Sour Eggplant

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If you think eggplant is boring, you haven’t tried Braised Sweet and Sour Eggplant, and you are going to change your mind! This soft flavour packed eggplant is completely addictive both on its own or as a side dish. Nobody can get enough of this!!

Eggplant braised with sweet and sour flavours in a saucepan

Eggplant can be boring but you haven’t tried this one yet!

This braised sweet and sour eggplant with ginger is like a trip to flavour town. It is nothing like the boring fried eggplant you’ve been used to. For a start, it is braised and that means it has soaked up all the delicious flavours in the pot. You have probably eaten lots of fried eggplant with tomato sauce but I promise you have had no eggplant like this one. Although there is tomato paste involved in the cook here, there is no cheese or pasta to be seen.

A closeup of braised eggplant with ginger and tomato

The eggplant is peeled, and that’s the secret for it soaking up so much of the exotic gingery juices. It’s a simple mixture that includes onion, red pepper, ginger, coriander and garlic. The addition of a couple of sauces ramps up the sweet and sour taste and coats the eggplant in a luscious thick sauce.

Sweet and Sour eggplant bowl

Ways to eat your Sweet and Sour Eggplant

  • Served simply as a Vegan bowl with brown rice and extra vegetables.
  • It will go beautifully with pan-fried Pork Fillet or Pork cutlets
  • It makes a great side dish to chicken schnitzel
  • Roasted honey soy marinated chicken and broccoli will work very well with this too!
  • Try it with chicken skewers and quinoa
  • Stir fry snow peas and broccoli and then add this sweet and sour eggplant, chilli and cashews
  • Try it with pan roasted salmon

All in all, there are many ways you can use your eggplant. If have family members who all eat something different then this Sweet and Sour Eggplant will bridge the two worlds

Vegan Braised eggplant and vegetable bowl
A chopping board with vegetables prepared
Cut up the onion and capsicum chunky style. You will need plenty of garlic and ginger- don’t skimp on that
Big chunks of peeled eggplant on a green board
Big chunky peeled pieces of eggplant are the way to go
Salting and draining eggplant in a colander
Salt them and leave to drain for 10-15 minutes while you cut up the other vegetables. The salting draws out some of the eggplant juices and softens them a bit. Eggplants are sometimes bitter if they have a bit of green in the flesh so this will ensure there isn’t bitterness too.
Washing and drying salted eggplant
Once they have been salted and sat for a bit they will have lost a bit of water. this may appear on the surface of the cubes or it may have drained through the colander. Just give them a good wash and dry. you can do this in kitchen paper or a clean kitchen cloth as I have.
a pot with oil ready to fry onions
Dont skimp on the oil. The amount of oil in the recipe has been reduced to suit you at home. The oil does make the mixture more unctuous and flavourful and helps to stop the eggplant sticking. Most dishes of this kind contain a good deal of oil and no more than buying crisps or chips or burgers.
Sauteing eggplant
Saute the onion and garlic in the warmed oil. Once fragrant add the eggplant and the ginger
Frying off eggplant in a pot
Stir well till coated in oil and starting to soften.
Add the capsicums and ginger
Add the red capsicum and cook a little more. You dont want the mixture to brown too much as this will make the garlic bitter. If the mix starts to brown it’s time to add the water
Softened vegetables with soy and tomato paste
Once you slow down the cooking with the water add the sauce and tomato paste. Stir well. Add the vinegar and cook for 10 minutes on low until it’s starting to soften
Adding all the ingrediants to sweet and sour eggplant in a pot
You can tweak the flavours as it cooks. Let it bubble gently. Make sure that you taste and add salt and sometimes it needs a bit more vinegar to bring out the sweet and sour taste
2 asian sauces. Sweet soy and rice vinegar
The sweet soy sauce and the rice wine vinegar are the bottles I’ve used but if you can’t get Ketchup Manis then I’ll give you some alternatives in the notes.
A pot of sweet and sour eggplant

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A pot of sweet and sour eggplant

Sweet and Sour Eggplant with ginger

If you find Eggplant can be boring then this will surprise you! This soft flavour packed eggplant is completely addictive both on it's own or as a side dish. Nobody can get enough of this!!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6 serves
Course: dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 kg eggplants 2 to 3 whole- 4.5 lb- large dice
  • 1 kg red capsicum / peppers 2 whole- 2 lb, large dice
  • 600 gm onions large dice, approx, 1 lb
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 30 gm ginger, grated 2 thumb sized pieces, 16 oz
  • 250 ml oil, vegetable plus more if needed- 1 cup
  • 500 ml water 2 cups|
  • 100 gm tomato paste a little more is no harm
  • 80 ml sweet soy, ketchup manis 4 Tablespoons, 2.8 oz
  • 80 ml rice vinegar 4 tablespoons, 2.8 oz
  • 40 ml soy sauce 2 tablespoons, light soy
  • 1 bunch coriander cleaned and chopped leaves, stems and roots
  • 2 teaspoon salt

Method
 

  1. Peel the eggplant and cut into 3 cm chunks (1 inch). Put into a colander and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss. Let stand
  2. Cut the onion, red capsicum, prepare the grated ginger and the crushed garlic.
  3. Use a large pot so there is room to cook the vegetables. (Don't use a fry pan). Put the oil into the pot and heat a little. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and sweat till softened but not coloured.
  4. Wash the eggplant to get rid of excess salt and dry with kitchen paper or a teatowel.
  5. Add the eggplant and sweat a bit longer with the onion. You will see that the oil will soak into the eggplant straight away. Keep stirring but don't let it get brown, just sweat it. You can add a little more oil if you like. Add the capsicum and toss further.
  6. Add the water to stop any browning, next add the tomato paste and the sauces along with the vinegar and chopped coriander. Cook on low till the eggplant is tender all the way through when tested with a fork. Stir interminttently for approximately 15- 20 minutes
  7. Taste the sauce and add more vinegar and salt if needed. The taste should be sweet, sour and nicely salted.

Notes

  • Ketchup manis is a sweet soy that has wonderful caramel tones. Don’t buy ketchup manis sedang because it is salty. if you can’t get your hands on it you can replace it with some brown sugar to taste. That means you add about a quarter of a cup. Stir and melt then add more later if needed once the other ingredients are added.
  • Adjust the flavours of your sweet and sour by adding more vinegar and some salt if needed
  • You can add chilli if you love that too. Add 2 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce or fresh chilli
  • Cook the eggplant slowly once the sauces are in. Cook till the eggplant is tender all the way through
  • This is also amazing with a Tablespoon of sesame oil added at the end. Stir through. 

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Comments

  1. angiesrecipes

    I love sweet and sour flavours, and have tried it with chicken, fish, pork and cauliflowers.. love the idea of using eggplants here. It looks really appetizing and tasty, Tania.

    Reply

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