Tempura Eggplant with Sautéed Veggies & Sweet Garlic Soy Sauce

 
 

Ingredients

 

  • 2 eggplants sliced into thin diagonal pieces 

  • 0.5 lbs of sweet peppers sliced

  • 1 pint of oyster and shitake mushrooms sliced 

  • ½ large torpedo onion

  • ¼ cup of soy sauce 

  • 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil

  • ¼ cup of brown sugar 

  • 2-3 cloves of garlic

  • Panko bread crumbs 

  • 1 cup of flour 

  • 1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon of cornstarch 

  • 1 egg 

  • ⅔ cup of ice water 

  • 1 cup of vegetable oil for frying 

  • Optional: 2 cups of rice (we recommend Rue & Forsman White Jasmine Rice)

  • Optional: sesame seeds for garnish (we recommend Full Belly Farms Organic Sesame Seeds)

Instructions


Tempura Eggplant:

    1. Begin by slicing the eggplant into thin diagonal pieces, lightly seasoning with salt and laying flat. 

    2. In a cast iron skillet pour 1 cup of vegetable oil and begin to heat until oil starts to bubble. Use a wooden spoon to determine the heat of the oil, if bubbles appear around the spoon it is hot enough to begin frying. 

    3. Prepare the tempura batter: combine flour, egg, icewater, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, and salt into a bowl and mix until lumpy. 

    4. Dip each slice of eggplant into the batter then into the breadcrumbs, fry in hot oil until golden brown and place on a tray lined with paper towels. 

 

Mushrooms, Peppers and Onion: 

  1. Pour 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil into a pan on medium heat. 

  2. Dice garlic and add to oil until aromatic 

  3. Slice onions into thick pieces and add to pan stirring occasionally to prevent burning and sticking

  4. After a few minutes, add mushrooms until softened 

  5. Finally add diced peppers and remove from heat once peppers have a slight char. 

 

Sweet Garlic Soy Sauce: 

  1. Add ¼ cup of water, ¼ cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of brown sugar and 2 diced cloves of garlic to a pot on the stove, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

  2. Add in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and stir until thickened. 

 

To serve: Add rice (optional), tempura eggplant, and sautéed peppers, onions and mushrooms to a bowl. Top with Sweet Garlic Soy sauce and sesame seeds. Serve hot.

dinnerAlison LevinsummerComment