Kirosha Kamal of Kirosha’s Kitchen gifted me some fresh brinjals from her garden in December. 

I was so excited when I got it that I immediately wanted to create something unique and delicious. Also, my relationship is fresh so I wanted to impress my partner with a dish he’s never had before. I instantly googled a couple of recipes and decided to inspire myself by playing around with some of the ingredients. I am a huge fan of Chinese and Eastern cuisine so balancing the flavours was not hard. 

This dish is completely vegan. Paired with some sticky rice, it will blow your hair back. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice, steamed

2 medium-sized brinjals/eggplant, halved and sliced finely. 

1 tsp salt

1+1 tbsp Maizena

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Juice of 1 orange or grapefruit

1/2 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp avocado oil/sunflower oil

4 red chilies chopped

3 garlic, diced

1/2 tbsp ginger

Spring onion or chives for garnish

Black or white sesame seeds for garnish

Method

1. In a large bowl, soak brinjals in salt for 12-20 minutes.

2. Pat dry and sprinkle 1 tbsp of Maizena over the vegetables. Coat well with a spoon.

3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan or wok and fry the brinjals on high heat until the skin crisps and the brinjals get soft. Remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry chili, garlic, and ginger together for a minute.

5. Mix rice vinegar, juice, the other tablespoon Maizena, soy sauce, and honey.

6. Add the brinjals back into the pan and give it a mix.

7. Pour your rice vinegar mixture over the vegetables and cook until the sauce becomes sticky.

8. Take it off the heat and garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion.

9. Serve hot over 1/4 cup of rice.