Pan-Fried Eggplant

This pan-fried eggplant is one of the simplest and most delicious eggplant recipes. Sweet, savoury and buttery, and takes only 15 minutes to make.

This Asian pan-fried eggplant is full of umami flavours. My family loves it as a vegetable side dish, but I can honestly eat the whole plate as a full meal. That’s how good it is! If you love eggplants, also check out this Red-Braised Eggplants recipe. Watch the video below for how easy it is to make the pan-fried eggplant. 

Pan-fried Eggplant Ingredients

This recipe uses only 6 ingredients.

• Eggplants: I use the smallest Chinese eggplants I can find, so that they are not too thick once split in half, and not too long to fit into the frying pan. If you are using other rounder eggplant varieties, you may want to cut them into slices so that they can be cooked through. 
• Salted Butter
• Soy Sauce: You can easily make this recipe gluten-free, by using the tamari soy sauce.
• Maple Syrup
• Roasted Seaweed: Use the snack kind of roasted seaweed, not the kind for wrapping sushi.
• Green Onion

Cooking Tips

• When cutting the eggplants in half, I keep the eggplant top on for display. But you can remove them, especially if you need to make the eggplants shorter to fit into your frying pan. 
• I score the flesh sides of the eggplants with diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart. Make the cuts in 2 different directions to form a diamond pattern. (See video)
• Use salted butter in this recipe to give the eggplants more flavour. It may look like a lot of butter, but it’s important to use enough fat when cooking eggplants to achieve the best flavours. 

More Tasty Vegetable Side Dishes You Will Love

• Warm Brussels Sprout Salad in Miso Dressing
• Anti-inflammatory Garlic Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower
• Grilled Okra (Keto, Vegan, Paleo)
• Maple Roasted Pumpkin (Gluten-Free, Paleo)
• Roasted Cauliflower Salad in Turmeric Dressing (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo)
• Sautéed Garlic Mustard Recipe (Foraged Wild Greens)
• Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Korean Spinach Side Dish Recipe
• Stir Fry Bean Sprouts with Minced Pork (Keto, Gluten-Free)
• Keto Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans

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Pan Fried Eggplant

This pan-fried eggplant is one of the simplest and most delicious eggplant recipes. Sweet, savoury and buttery, and takes only 15 minutes to make.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish, Vegetable

Cuisine: Asian, Japanese

Prep Time: 7 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Yang

Cost: $5

Equipment

• 10-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet

Ingredients

• 2 small Chinese eggplants
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 sheets roasted seaweed crumbled
• 1 teaspoon chopped green onion

Instructions

• Cut the Chinese eggplants in half length-wise. I keep the eggplant top on for display, but you can remove them, especially if it makes the eggplants shorter to fit into your frying pan.
• Place the halved eggplants flesh side up, score the flesh with diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart in 2 different directions to form a diamond pattern.
• Heat a heavy bottom frying pan (such as cast iron) over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, melt the butter in the pan, then immediately place the eggplants flesh side down into the butter.
• Fry the eggplants for 2 to 3 minutes, until the flesh side is golden brown. Flip the eggplants over, then fry the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, then transfer the eggplants onto a plate, flesh side up.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix the soy sauce and maple syrup together. Pour the mixture over the eggplants.
• Sprinkle crumbled roasted seaweed and chopped green onion over eggplants. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

• Use the snack kind of roasted seaweed, not the kind for wrapping sushi.

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal

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