Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce

This quick Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce is a very easy and tasty Asian-style eggplant dish that can be prepared in just 35 minutes. The combination of stir-fried eggplants in a flavorful garlic sauce is something every Asian food lover must try.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 134kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

1 large skillet preferably nonstick
1 large bowl
1 Large strainer
1 heavy small plate
Knife and chopping board
Spatula

Ingredients

Ingredients for the sauce

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Other ingredients

4-5 large Chinese or Japanese eggplants around 5 cups chopped eggplant
4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped (adjust to taste)
1 inch ginger piece finely chopped
1 Thai or any hot chili pepper finely chopped
2 stalks scallion finely chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt for soaking eggplant plus a little salt for the sauce
Water to soak eggplants

Ingredients for garnishing

2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
½ tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
Chopped scallion

Instructions

Wash the eggplants and cut into bite size cubes.
Mix salt and water in a large bowl. Add eggplant cubes. Put a small plate on top of the eggplants to make sure they remain submerged in the water. Keep them like this for around 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, discard the water and pat dry the eggplants with a clean kitchen towel.
Put the eggplant cubes in a large bowl and add around 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Gently toss until the cornstarch evenly coats the eggplant pieces.
Heat oil in a large nonstick pan with a flat base. Spread the eggplant cubes in a single layer on it. Nicely cook from all sides until they turn golden brown. It will take around 15 minutes.
Take out the cooked eggplant pieces on a plate.
In a bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients and keep the mixture aside.
In the same pan add chopped ginger, garlic, and hot red chilies. Saute for about a minute.
Add the sauce mixture to the pan. Continuously stir and cook until the cornstarch thickens.
Add cooked eggplants and some chopped scallions. Mix everything and cook for another minute.
Garnish with roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and remaining chopped scallion. Enjoy with rice or noodles.

Video

Notes

Pick eggplants with fewer seeds to make this Asian eggplant stir fry.
Use a large nonstick skillet or pan with a flat base to make this recipe so that you can spread the eggplant cubes in a single layer.
Always stir fry on medium-high heat.
As the cooking is done on high heat, keep all the ingredients ready and near the stove.
Handle the tender eggplant pieces gently otherwise, they will break. Also, use chopsticks or a pair of tongs to move them in the pan.
While stir-frying, spread the eggplant pieces in a single layer so that they get cooked evenly.
Eggplants absorb a lot of oil, so don't add too much oil to stir-fry them. They will soak it all.
Add salt, only if the saltiness of soy sauce is not sufficient for you in the dish.
For a hotter version, you may add some hot sauce, chili oil, chili paste, or red pepper flakes to the sauce.
For extra flavor, vegan or vegetarian oyster sauce can also be added to the dish.
To get a stronger garlic flavor, add some garlic powder to the sauce mixture.
More recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition