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Home » Cooking Light » Grain-Free Thai Eggplant Tempura with Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce

Grain-Free Thai Eggplant Tempura with Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce

March 5, 2014 by Faith 8 Comments

Grain-Free Thai Eggplant Tempura with Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce

I think I’ve probably mentioned before that although I try with all my might not to be an impulse shopper, I’m a huge sucker for cutsie foods.

Like Grapples. (Believe it or not Grapples – that is, apples that smell like grapes – are a real thing. But their flavor isn’t nearly as enticing as their scent. We all know that impulse buys are rarely, if ever, worth the money; but even knowing this, impulse buys are still hard to resist thanks to the evil geniuses who design supermarkets, lol.)

Grain-Free Thai Eggplant Tempura with Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce 2

Bento boxes.

These cupcakes. (Come on, how cute are they?)

Or pretty much any “miniature” or “baby-sized” food. (Except baby carrots…for some reason – and I know they’re just regular-sized carrots that have been cut down – they just seem weird. I avoid them like the plague.)

Grain-Free Thai Eggplant Tempura with Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce 3

So a while ago when I saw the sweetest little Thai eggplants at the market, there was no way I could pass them up. (And don’t even bother asking me why I’m cool with mini-sized eggplants but baby carrots freak me out. I have no answer to give you and I’m not quite sure I want to know, lol.)

What to do with a pound of teensy-tiny little eggplants? Make tempura. And then eat lunch.

And the best part? Fusion at its finest. Thai eggplant, Indian flour, Japanese cooking style, Chinese-inspired dipping sauce.

(For a pretty funny story involving tempura and the lengths we’ll go to get our kids to eat green, check out Operation Green Bean.)

Grain-Free Thai Eggplant Tempura with Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce 4

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Grain-Free Thai Eggplant Tempura with Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce
Prep time:  7 mins
Cook time:  10 mins
Total time:  17 mins
Yield: Serves 2 as a side dish or appetizer, or 1 as lunch
 
Ingredients
Thai Eggplant Tempura:
  • 6 tablespoons besan (chickpea flour)
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 lb (450 g) Thai eggplants, washed and stems trimmed
  • 2 ice cubes
  • Canola oil, for frying
Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 small clove garlic, grated
  • ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
Instructions
  1. For the tempura, whisk together the chickpea flour, water, salt, black pepper, and turmeric in a medium bowl. Add the eggplants and toss to coat. Add the ice to keep the batter cold and thin it out slightly as you heat up the oil.
  2. Add about 1½ to 2 inches of oil to a medium saucepan with deep sides; bring the oil temperature to 350F over medium-high heat.
  3. Add half of the eggplant, allowing the excess batter to drip off each piece before adding it to the oil. Cook until the eggplant is tender and the batter is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil, and cook the remaining eggplant the same way.
  4. For the sauce, whisk together all ingredients.
  5. Serve the eggplant hot, with the sauce on the side for dipping.
3.5.3251

Filed Under: Cooking Light, Recipes Tagged: Appetizer, Baby Eggplant, Cooking Light, Eggplant, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Lunch, Miniature Eggplant, Recipes, Side Dish, Snack, Spicy Garlic-Soy Dipping Sauce, Tempura, Thai Eggplant

Comments

  1. Ebeats says

    September 28, 2020 at 8:50 pm

    Are there any alternatives to besan ? Would regular flour suffice or would it not have the same quality?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Faith says

      October 5, 2020 at 6:02 am

      I like using besan flour here because in addition to being gluten free, it yields a crunchy coating with a slightly nutty flavor. You can use regular flour (you might need to slightly adjust the amount of water in the recipe), but it will taste slightly different and not be quite as crunchy. I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!

      Reply
  2. Joanne says

    March 6, 2014 at 7:26 am

    Now I SO want to find some of those mini eggplants here! I suppose I’ll have to wait for the fall, though. Your decision to tempura them was a pretty perfect one in my opinion!

    Reply
  3. Happy Valley Chow says

    March 5, 2014 at 10:36 pm

    That looks fantastic! Great job :)

    Happy Blogging!
    Happy Valley Chow

    Reply
  4. Eileen says

    March 5, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    I haven’t had tempura in far too long! Love the idea of frying up a bowlful of tiny baby eggplant in a crispy shell. I never know what to do with the super tiny ones–this is such a great idea!

    Reply
  5. Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says

    March 5, 2014 at 11:51 am

    tempura is calling my name..do you think I could use almond flour instead of besan? and grapples – i purchased them on an impulse too but I think its just the scent thats good.

    Reply
  6. Rosa says

    March 5, 2014 at 5:17 am

    Wonderful! These tempura look delicious. I love besan flour…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  7. Erica says

    March 5, 2014 at 4:36 am

    hahaha- I’ve purchased a Grapple- definitely a disappointment. This looks so delicious. I’m a huge eggplant fan- can’t get enough!

    Reply

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Hello! I’m Faith and I write An Edible Mosaic. This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics, with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. I focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home. Welcome to my mosaic of recipes.

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I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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