Why it works: Canola oil and eggplant work together. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 33 recipes. Both carry alpha-pinene, which smells pine, turpentine. The science ↓
Sesame Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the eggplant
Place wok or skillet over high heat.
When hot, add 2 tablespoons of canola oil and swirl to coat the pan.
When hot but not smoking, add eggplant and stir-fry about 1 minute.
Add water, or more as needed, and continue to stir-fry, moving the pan off and on the heat as necessary to prevent scorching, until water evaporates and eggplant is tender when pierced, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Dress and serve
Mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend.
Pour over cooled eggplant and toss to coat well.
To serve, mound on a serving plate and garnish with onions.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Eggplant | 1 cup cubed (82g) | 35 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Canola oil + eggplanttop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together33 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggplant
- Its flesh softens and turns tender as it cooks, giving the salad its body.
- Canola oil
- Conducts heat for stir-frying and keeps the eggplant from sticking to the pan.
- Water
- Creates steam that cooks the eggplant through before it evaporates.
The step that matters
Stir-frying the eggplant until the water evaporates. Moving the pan on and off the heat prevents scorching while the eggplant cooks through. Stopping too early leaves it undercooked, and staying on high heat too long can burn the slices.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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