Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Soy dressing

Chinese eggplants are a delish sponge for flavor if properly prepared. Usually you will need to deep fry it to get the right texture and flavor. This recipe uses an air fryer to help you prepare a healthier, yet still amazingly flavorful Chinese eggplant side dish in less than 15 minutes!

This Chinese eggplant dish is very poplar in Taiwan; it also appears on our dining table pretty frequently, particularly during the summer. It goes very well with dishes like steamed egg with minced pork, pork and tofu stir fry and Taiwanese minced pork rice.

I like how convenient it is to cook eggplant in my air fryer oven, and the texture is pretty similar to when it's deep fried, which I prefer over boiled or steamed.

Eggplant itself might seem a bit bland, but when it soaks up the sweet and savory garlic soy dressing along with the aroma from scallions and cilantro, it transforms into something really appetizing and hard to resist.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

• It's a healthy and appetizing side dish that goes well with many Asian cuisines.
• This dish is very quick and easy to put together, especially when you cook it in an air fryer.
• You can easily adjust the flavor of the dressing based on your taste.

Ingredients You'll Need

How to Make This Dish

Step 1 - Cut eggplants into long sticks.

Wash and pat dry the eggplants. Trim the two ends before cutting into three sections. Cut each section in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 2 or 3 sticks, depending on the thickness of your eggplant.

Step 2 - Cook eggplants in air fryer.

Toss eggplants with oil before cooking in the air fryer at 400°F (200°C) for 10 - 12 minutes or until the eggplants are softened and golden brown on the edges. The actual cooking time will depend on your air fryer.

Step 3 - Make garlic soy dressing.

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, sugar and sesame oil together before mixing in chopped scallions and cilantro.

Taste to see if you need to adjust the flavor.

Step 4 - Assemble the dish.

Place cooked eggplants on a plate, let it cool down for about five minutes before mixing with the garlic soy dressing.

Variations

• Thai basil also goes very well with this dish. Replace cilantro with 2 tablespoons of chopped Thai basil for a different flavor.
• For a spicy variation, add 1 tablespoon of Korean chili flakes into the dressing, or drizzle some chili oil at the end.

Tips and Tricks

• Eggplants absorb oil really fast, so when you toss eggplants with oil, place them on a tray first, drizzle with oil evenly before tossing together, so the oil won't all be absorbed by only a few pieces.
• Make sure the skin parts are all covered by oil so it won't turn brown after cooking.
• This recipe is developed using an air fryer oven, if you are using a traditional air fryer, I would suggest starting with cooking one eggplant first. Also remember to give it a shake after 5 minutes to allow it to cook evenly.
• The actual cooking time depends on your air fryer and the amount of eggplants. The best way is to keep your eye on it and see if you need to adjust the cooking time.

Recipe FAQs

Dishes that Go Well with This Recipe

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