Air fryer Chinese eggplant recipe
This Air fryer Chinese eggplant recipe has the perfect texture - crispy outside and buttery soft inside, brushed with balsamic garlic sauce. Easy, healthy, gluten-free!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chinese eggplant 2 long ones
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch divided
- Avocado oil spray
Sauce:
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
- 0.2 oz garlic cloves grated, 2 medium cloves
Garnish:
- 1 Spring onions chopped
- Sprinkle Toasted white sesame seeds
- 3 whole Thai Red chili peppers sliced, optional
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into wedges by first holding your knife at a 45-degree angle and making a 2-inch long cut. Then, continue to roll the ingredient 90 degrees and make cuts of the same width and angle until it is all cut.
- [Optional step] Place the eggplants over a sheet pan and sprinkle with ¼ tsp coarse salt. Use your hands to gently rub and distribute the salt in on all sides. Rest the eggplants for 15 minutes. They will sweat a bit.
- Pat dry the eggplants with paper towel and place them into a large mixing bowl. Toss with oil and make sure it’s coated on all sides, then add the starch 1 tablespoon a time until you finish all 2 tablespoons. Coat all sides evenly.
- Spray the air fryer basket with avocado oil, add the eggplants in a single layer. Leave some space between them. Spray with more oil on top. Air fry at 400F for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, put the sauce together in a small bowl.
- After 5 minutes, remove the air fryer basket and brush the sauce all over the eggplants a few times. You’ll have extra sauce left. Save it for serving.
- Spray with another thin layer of oil on top and air fry for 3 minutes. When it’s done, allow the eggplants to rest inside of the air fry basket by the kitchen counter for 1 minute before transferring them onto a serving plate.
- Brush with more sauce. Garnish with scallions, sesame seeds, and chili peppers, if using. Serve with the extra sauce on the side. Best serve at room temperature while it’s still hot.
Video
Notes
- Cut the eggplants to slightly larger, about 2-inch in width wedges, so that they won’t turn mushy after air frying. See the section above on how to cut Chinese eggplant.
- Chinese eggplants taste sweeter and less bitter than other types of eggplant so salting the eggplant isn’t necessary. However, it helps improve the texture with a creamer taste.
- Be gentle when you brush the eggplants with the sauce. They are quite delicate!
- See the section above on what other types of eggplants you can use.
- This Chinese-style air fryer eggplants are perfectly crisp and caramelized outside and soft and buttery inside. Very satisfying bites!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.4mg
