Fried Chinese Eggplant
Black Vinegar Gastrique, Spiced Cashews, Labneh
Chef Trigg Brown of Win Son | Brooklyn
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted by StarChefs | February 2019
INGREDIENTS:
Chinese Eggplant:
4 Chinese eggplants (the long, purple emoji eggplant)
3 tablespoons salt
Black Vinegar Gastrique:
1 cup sugar
1 cup black vinegar
Spiced Cashews:
1 cup raw cashews
1 teaspoon five spice powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
Labneh:
½ cup labneh
1 teaspoon soybean oil
To Assemble and Serve:
Soybean oil
Rice flour
Salt
Ajinomoto umami seasoning (MSG)
½ teaspoon five spice powder
½ teaspoon cayenne
Coarsely chopped cilantro
METHOD:
For the Chinese Eggplant:
Knob the ends off the eggplants and cut each into thirds if they’re short or fourths if they’re long. Then quarter each piece lengthwise. In a mixing bowl, toss eggplant with salt; disgorge eggplant overnight in refrigerator, or a minimum 4 hours. Drain disgorged eggplant, thoroughly pressing out liquid.
For the Black Vinegar Gastrique:
In a large pot, caramelize sugar, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. When the caramel is smooth, switch to a long whisk and slowly incorporate black vinegar, adding just a small amount to start and stirring constantly. After the first pour, keep the stream going slowly and steadily. When all of the vinegar has been added, reduce mixture by half, stirring to prevent scorching.
For the Spiced Cashews:
In a food processor, pulse cashews until evenly chopped into large chunks. Season with spices and salt.
For the Labneh:
In a bowl, use a rubber spatula to combine labneh and oil.
To Assemble and Serve:
In a wok over medium-high flame, heat oil to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, dredge eggplant in rice flour, transfer to a sieve and shaking off excess flour. Fry 1 minute, then stir eggplant to evenly cook. When eggplant is golden and crisp, drain. While hot, season with salt and MSG. In a bowl, combine five spice and cayenne. Spoon a generous smear of Labneh across the bottom of a serving bowl and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Arrange eggplant on top, stacking skin side up. Top with a heavy hand of cilantro and liberally drizzle with Black Vinegar Gastrique. Carelessly garnish with Spiced Cashews.
