Chinese Cold Eggplant Salad with Garlic and Sesame Recipe
This eggplant salad is light, aromatic, and served cold – in China it often appears on the table as a small side dish next to a bowl of rice or soup. The eggplant is soft like butter but not greasy, and the garlicky sesame dressing gives it character. It’s a great way to fall in love with eggplant, even if you usually don’t care for it.
This salad turns simple baked eggplant into a silky, aromatic dish with a bold garlic-sesame dressing. Serving it cold makes it refreshing and perfect as a small side dish in an Asian-style meal.
Chef's tips
Don’t be afraid to bake the eggplant until it is very soft – that buttery texture is key to this salad. Taste the dressing before adding it and adjust the balance of vinegar, sugar, and chili to your liking.
How to serve
Serve in small bowls as part of a shared table with rice, dumplings, or noodle dishes. It also works well as a topping for plain steamed rice or as a side to grilled fish or tofu.
Ingredients
- medium eggplants about 500–600 g - 2 piece
- garlic - 4 clove
- soy sauce - 2 tablespoon
- rice vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 1.5 tablespoon
- sesame oil - 1 tablespoon
- neutral vegetable oil for drizzling the eggplants before baking - 1 tablespoon
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- chili flakes or chili oil amount to taste - 0.5 teaspoon
- toasted sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon
- spring onion greens or cilantro for sprinkling; use a handful of cilantro - 2 piece
- salt for sprinkling the eggplant
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (top and bottom heat). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Wash and dry the eggplants, then cut them in half lengthwise. Score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern with a knife, being careful not to cut through the skin.
- Place the eggplant halves on the tray, skin side down. Lightly salt the flesh and drizzle with vegetable oil, spreading it with a brush or your fingers.
- Bake the eggplants for 15–20 minutes, until the flesh is very soft and the top is lightly browned. When pierced with a fork, the eggplant should be completely tender.
- While the eggplants are baking, prepare the dressing: peel the garlic and chop it very finely or press it through a garlic press. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and chili flakes or chili oil. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove the baked eggplants from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes, until they are cool enough to handle.
- Scoop the soft flesh out of the skins with a spoon and transfer it to a bowl. You can gently tear it into smaller pieces with a fork. Discard the skins.
- Pour the prepared dressing over the still-warm eggplant, add half of the sesame seeds, and gently mix. Taste and, if needed, season with a little more salt or vinegar.
- Let the salad rest for at least 10 minutes so the flavors can meld. You can also chill it completely in the fridge.
- Before serving, sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds and the chopped spring onion greens or cilantro. Serve as an appetizer or a side dish to rice.
Storage
Sałatkę przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku w lodówce do 2 dni. Przed podaniem wyjmij na 15 minut, aby nie była lodowato zimna, wtedy lepiej czuć smak.
