Ichiban eggplant with garlic sauce doesn’t sound satisfying, but wait until it grabs a hold of your taste buds. I also added mushrooms for more meatiness. The eggplant is cut into semi-large chunks and gives you a meaty texture when you bite into it. Ichiban eggplant offers a sweet flavor and beautiful tenderness with every bite. Mushrooms offer a similar texture and a ton of flavor, so that is why both vegetables are used in various vegetarian meals. Even though there is no meat in the recipe you still have something to sink your teeth into.
In this recipe I used Ichiban eggplant because they are sweet and tender. The skin is thinner and full of fiber, so leave the skin on for those extra nutrients. They were fresh from my garden, which was an extra perk. This eggplant is a Japanese variety.
INGREDIENTS – ICHIBAN EGGPLANT WITH GARLIC SAUCE
- 2 Japanese eggplant (Ichiban)
- 1 box shitake mushrooms or baby bella
- 2 scallions
- handful of mung bean sprouts, optional
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- small piece of ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cups of uncooked rice (It will double)
- gochujang (optional)
TIP: IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO SOY, THEN REPLACE IT WITH COCONUT AMINOS.
The first thing you need to do when making ichiban eggplant with garlic sauce is cut the vegetables, garlic and ginger.
Start cooking the rice. Just follow the package directions.
Heat a frying pan with about 1 tablespoon of canola oil over a medium heat. Once it’s hot add the eggplant and saute for about 3 minutes, then add in the mushrooms and cook another 2 minutes. Take the vegetables out and set aside.
In a measuring cup add the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, cornstarch, brown sugar, and sesame oil to make the garlic sauce. Mix well to incorporate the cornstarch. Add the sauce to the pan and bring it to a boil to thicken. Put the ginger and garlic in the pan and cook for 30 seconds to a minute.
Add the ichiban eggplant and mushrooms back into the pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Make sure the eggplant is tender. At this point I also added some mung bean sprouts merely because I had them in the fridge and needed to get rid of them. Last, cut the scallions and sprinkle them on top.