In the summer, stir-fried eggplant can feel a bit greasy because of the oil, but cold eggplant salad is refreshing and light. With a little vinegar, it has a tangy taste, along with the fragrance of scallions and garlic, making it an appetizing dish that goes great with rice. Make sure to cook extra rice!
Ingredients
- 300g eggplant
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small chili pepper, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp chicken powder
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp aged vinegar
- 1 tbsp oil
After washing the scallions, garlic, and chili pepper, be sure to dry them with a paper towel before chopping them up. For my eggplant salad, I used a bit more oil, but in fact, 1 tablespoon is enough.
How to Make Eggplant Salad
Step 1: Steam the eggplant in a pot with cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’ve added more water, it will take a bit longer for it to boil, so check around the 20-minute mark.
If you can easily pierce the eggplant with chopsticks, it means it’s fully cooked.
Step 2: Let the steamed eggplant cool, then tear it into long, thin strips by hand, and place them on a plate.
Step 3: Add the chopped scallions, garlic, and chili pepper to the eggplant. Then add the salt, chicken powder, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and vinegar.
Step 4: Heat the oil in a small pan or pot (you don’t need much as steamed eggplant doesn’t absorb much oil). I used canola oil, so I heated it for a bit longer until it was slightly smoking, then turned off the heat. Pour the hot oil over the seasonings on top of the eggplant to release the flavors.
Step 5: Mix everything together with chopsticks and the dish is ready to serve. It’s perfect when paired with rice!
Enjoy this delicious, flavorful, and light eggplant salad!
