Pan-grilled Eggplant with Calamansi Chili Sauce
In this eggplant side dish, a whole eggplant is sliced, tossed with oil and grilled in a non-stick pan. When the eggplant slices are partially cooked, the sweet-spicy sauce is poured in and the eggplant slices finish cooking in the liquid just long enough to soak up the flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon kalamansi juice
- 1 bird’s eye chili, thinly sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon grated ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 eggplant
- 1 tablespoon palm oil
Instructions
- Make the sauce by mixing together the fish sauce, kalamansi juice, chili, ginger, garlic and sugar with about four tablespoonfuls of water.
- Cut off and discard the top end of the eggplant. Split lengthwise then cut into half inch slices. Toss with the palm oil.
- Heat a non-stick pan.
- Arrange the eggplant slices, cut side down, in a single layer.
- Cook over medium-high heat for about two minutes or until nicely browned.
- Flip the eggplant slices over and cook for another two minutes.
- Flip the eggplant slices again. Pour in the prepared sauce. Boil gently for a minute.
- Turn the eggplant slices one last time. Boil for another minute.
- Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to a plate. Drizzle any remaining sauce over them.
Notes
For best results, a few tips:
1. Use Asian eggplant which is sweeter with no bitter undertones.
2. Make sure that the pan is hot before spreading the eggplant slices in it to make sure that they get seared. If the pan is not hot enough, the eggplant slices will steam rather than brown and that will make them soggy and difficult to flip.
3. Eggplant continues to cook in the residual heat from its own flesh even after removal from the cooking pan. Do not wait for the eggplant slices to turn too soft before moving them to a plate.
Updated from a recipe originally published in February 28, 2016
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