Eggplant Salad

This eggplant salad recipe was handed to me by my Mother’s aunt. Eggplants typically don’t have much flavor, but this salad is so flavorful its almost hard to believe. The savory sautéed vegetables combined with the sweet chili sauce makes quite the delicious concoction. Now that the holidays are getting closer, keep this salad in mind for the upcoming potlucks!

Ingredients:

4 eggplants

4 red bell peppers

2 carrots

1/2 onion 

8 garlic cloves

1/2 cup vinegar 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp sweet chili sauce

1/3 cup water 

1/3 cup olive oil 

Instructions:

1 . Chop the eggplant into small rectangular cubes. Place in a colander and mix with 1 tsp salt. Let it sit for about 20 minutes until it lets out most of its juices. Make sure to have a plate under the colander to catch all the liquid. 

2 . Sauté the chopped bell pepper, onion, and shredded carrot with the pressed garlic, black pepper, sugar, and vinegar. 

3 . Add water and olive oil. Sauté for about 10 minutes.

4 . Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil and place the chopped eggplant into the baking dish a toss lightly to coat it in the olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

5 . Combine the sautéed vegetables with the baked eggplant. Then stir in the sweet chili sauce.