Graceland Eggplant Sandwiches

Last year we did a sandwich swap on my cooking board and my friend Lishie submitted her Graceland Eggplant Sandwiches, which my other friend Heather was lucky enough to make. I've had my eye on them for a long time, even adapting them with tomato sauce instead of the roasted red pepper, but I really wanted to make the original version.

These were so delicious, although SP told me he prefers them with the tomato sauce. Even Baby Girl ate a few bites of her sandwich and told me eggplant is yummy (she was much more interested in the antipasti pasta salad I served alongside - what can I say, the kid loves her carbs).

My lunch the next day was equally delicious but instead of the oil and vinegar I mixed some vinegar with mayo and spread it on the top and bottom bun. I need to remember to do that more often, it's easier than trying to get the right amount of oil and vinegar out of the bottles, as you can see from the photo my vinegar didn't cooperate.

Graceland Eggplant Sandwich
As seen on Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks, adapted from DeLish Lishie

1 medium eggplant
1 egg, whisked
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 sub rolls
1 jar roasted red pepper
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Cut the ends off of the eggplant and then peel it. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into thin slices. Place in a colander set inside a bowl. Salt the eggplant slices. Allow to sit for at least an hour. Blot off any moisture on the eggplant.

Whisk together the egg and the milk in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish combine the breadcrumbs, oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the sub rolls in half and place on a baking sheet.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture and then coat with the breadcrumbs. Place 3 or 4 slices in the skillet and heat for 2-3 minutes per side or until it is golden brown. Remove from skillet and place on a sub roll. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and eggplant slices.

Top eggplant with roasted red pepper, mozzarella slices, and a sprinkle of black pepper. Splash a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the sub roll and place in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is just melting. Serve hot with extra olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Chicken with Eggplant in Garlic Sauce

I saw this recipe for Spicy Eggplant on Kate's blog, but I wanted it to be more like a dish we enjoy whenever we get Chinese food with my mom (with chicken) or with my aunt (vegetarian), so I combined elements from the Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry I made recently.


Eggplant is a vegetable I absolutely love in things like eggplant parmesan, eggplant panini or eggplant rollatini, but am not really a fan of in Asian dishes. I'm assuming the Chinese dishes we've had use Japanese eggplant, which is not what I used here. As a result, we weren't enamored by this dish. The chicken aspect was good but the eggplant was just not enjoyable for us. I modified the recipe below to call for Japanese eggplants but I think they'd work better.


It was still a good stir-fry but I think we'll stick with other vegetables.

Chicken with Eggplant in Garlic Sauce
aToHC Original, with help from Kate's Recipe Box and Alosha's Kitchen

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 cloves garlic, grated or minced divided
1 1/2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, grated or minced, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon + 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons xiaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce (chile sauce)
1 tablespoons dark sesame oil
About 1/2 cup water
2 Japanese eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Ground black pepper to taste
3 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle (for garnish)

In a plastic food storage bag, toss the chicken with half the garlic and ginger, soy sauce, sugar, 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt, xiaoxing wine, Sriracha and sesame oil. Marinate for at least 15 minutes. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the chicken mixture. Stir-fry (stir, stir, stir at this point!) until the chicken is brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil, add the eggplant and stir the eggplant cubes until they begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat, and cook and stir the onions just until they begin to soften, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rest of the garlic and ginger.

Return the chicken and eggplant to the skillet, lower the heat, and allow the vegetables and sauce to simmer until the eggplant is tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, stir, then add in the reserved cornstarch/water mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Serve over rice, with the chopped scallions and extra chile sauce on the side.