Asian Salad with Crispy Eggplant, Cilantro, and Peanuts
Salads • Pan-Asian
Description
Summer, tender, almost seedless, and completely non-bitter eggplants can become a delightful story when fried in pieces until crispy. The narrative is further enhanced by a starch coating, which is gentler than flour, resulting in a delicate, almost glass-like crust that keeps the juice inside and prevents the flesh from absorbing oil and becoming heavy. The story of the fried eggplants can take any direction: serve them with tahini for an Israeli twist, with roasted tomatoes for a Turkish flair, or with mint, cilantro, soy sauce, and mirin for an Asian touch. We chose the last option and intensified the crunch by adding crushed peanuts to the crispy eggplants.
Ingredients
- Eggplants 5 oz
- Corn Starch 0 oz
- Vegetable Oil 10 fl oz
- Fresh basil leaves 0 oz
- Fresh Mint 0 oz
- Cilantro 0 oz
- Cucumbers 5 oz
- Roasted Peanuts 0 oz
- Sesame Oil 1 tablespoon
- Lime ½ pieces
- Soy Sauce 2 spoons
- Vegetable Oil 1 tablespoon
- Mirin 1 tablespoon
- Garlic 1 clove
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1
Cut the eggplants into large cubes.
Step 2
Coat the eggplants in a mixture of salt and corn starch, shaking off the excess.
Step 3
Heat sunflower oil for frying and sauté the eggplants until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to paper towels to drain excess oil.
Step 4
Slice the cucumbers.
Step 5
For the sauce, pour sesame oil, soy sauce, vegetable oil, and mirin into a jar with an airtight lid.
Step 6
Squeeze the juice of a lime into the jar and add the minced garlic. Close the jar and shake well to combine the ingredients.
Step 7
Combine the eggplants and cucumbers in a salad bowl.
Step 8
Tear the leaves off the basil, cilantro, and mint, roughly tear them, mix together, and add to the salad.
Step 9
Lightly crush the peanuts in a mortar until they are coarsely crumbed, then sprinkle them over the salad.
Step 10
Dress the salad with the dressing.
Step 11
Arrange the salad on a serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts.
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