Chinese Eggplant
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: July 23, 2019
My creamy Chinese eggplant recipe is the most luxurious, warming and umami treasure. The glossy sweet and salty sauce clings to the eggplant in this quick and easy stir fry—guaranteed to fill any comfort-food craving.
This simple eggplant dish has always been a favourite to order in a restaurant and is also a staple at home. Quick and simple to put together at home and a great dish either on its own or alongside other Chinese recipes. I love the soft, creamy texture eggplant takes on when cooked, and when it's combined with the umami sweetness of this super-easy stir fry sauce, the dish become positively luxurious!
I like nothing more than this on a bed of piping hot rice and nothing more. Honestly, any comfort food craving generally points me to Chinese eggplant, because I know I won't have to wait for hours, this dish is ready to eat in a tidy 20 minutes. Just enough time for the rice to cook to perfection!
What is Chinese eggplant?
Chinese eggplant refers to two things really, firstly the name of the preparation i.e. stir-fried eggplant in a sweet and salty sauce. But it also refers to the type of eggplant too. Eggplants come in many varieties, and in China and South East Asia, there is a variety that most often used for this recipe.
Long and thin in shape and a vibrant purple in colour, Chinese eggplant are used in this recipe as they contain less seeds than a fat European style eggplant. This makes them less bitter, thus creating a better flavour for the stir fry.
Why it works
It's easy! - 20 minutes for a restaurant-style Chinese eggplant! You can't complain really!
It's creamy! - The texture of this dish is everything. Soft, luxuriant and creamy, so good over rice.
It's umami! - If taste is your thing, then the deep umami of the soy along with the sweet notes from the sugar create the most wonderful hit of flavour.
Stuff you'll need
Making this amazing Chinese eggplant recipe doesn't require anything out of the ordinary. Most ingredients can be found in your local supermarket these days, but if you're missing something you can definitely find them in an Asian store. I also offer some substitutes should you struggle.
- Chinese Eggplants - look for the long, thin variety shown above. Failing that, you can use regular eggplant, but you may need to salt them to remove a little of the bitterness.
- Shaoxing cooking wine - This is a Chinese cooking wine which adds a depth of flavour to the sauce. You can substitute for a little dry sherry if you can't find it.
- Sesame oil - brings its unique nutty quality.
- Soy sauce - this is the bulk of umami, tha salty and t hard-to-put-your-finger-on deliciousness.
- Sugar - brings out the sweetness to the dish and counteracts the salty soy sauce.
- Ginger & Garlic for aromatics
- Black vinegar - the tangy notes from a good quality black vinegar really elevates the finished flavour.
- Cornstarch/cornflour - This helps thicken the sauce into a silky, rich consistency that clings to the eggplant batons.
Step by Step
This stir fry Chinese eggplant comes together quickly and easily, there's not a lot too it.
- Step 1 - Mix together all the sauce ingredients.
- Step 2 - Fry the garlic and ginger briefly
- Step 3 - Add the sauce and simmer to thicken a little
- Step 4 - Pour it into a bowl = and wipe clean the wok.
- Step 5 - Stir fry the eggplant to char the edges a bit (flavour flavour flavour!)
- Step 6 - Return the sauce to the pan and let it simmer furiously until the eggplant is creamy and delicious.
Pro Tips to make your life easier
- Skins: People can often be a little weird about eggplant skins, but absolutely leave the skins on for this recipe, they'll soften and be easy to eat. They're also full of nutrients!
- Hot stuff: Eggplant cooked this way can feel as hot as the face of the sun in your mouth. Be careful when you eat - take it from a greedy person who often burns their mouth out with hasty spoonfuls. Delicious can be dangerous, you have been warned.
- Salting eggplant - personally, I tend not to salt Chinese eggplant (to remove excess moisture and bitterness), as this variety has fewer bitter seeds, but if you want to, sprinkle the cut eggplant liberally with salt and leave for 20 mins or so, then wipe dry with paper towels before use.
- Chinese Eggplant alterantives - If you can't find Chinese eggplant, then substitute for Japanese eggplant, which looks similar or by all means use a regular eggplant too.
Serving and storing suggestions
Typically I'll eat this as part of a larger meal, but this Chinese eggplant works so well on its own too, spooned over some steamed or fried rice.
- Fridge: Chinese eggplant will stay fresh in the fridge for a good week it's actually pretty good reheated.
- Freezer: On this occasion, fresh is best, so I personally would not recommend freezing leftovers.
Ready to get cooking?
So, to cook this simple, tasty stir-fried Chinese eggplant is a cinch! And you won't believe just how much umami greatness is packed into this humble little affair. There's a good reason it's one of my favourite little Chinese recipes. Hope you enjoy.
Any Questions? (FAQ)
Have a question about this Chinese Eggplant recipe? Let me know in the comments.
Is Chinese eggplant the same as regular eggplant?
Same vegetable, but the Chinese variety has a brighter purple colour. It also contains less seeds making it less bitter.
Should Chinese eggplant be peeled?
No, there's a tonne of goodness in the skin and it's thin enough to eat without any issue. The skin will also help the eggplant hold its shape when softened.
Can I substitute Chinese eggplant?
Yes, you can use Japanese eggplant which is similar in shape, failing that use a regular eggplant for this recipe too.
More Chinese recipes
If you liked this recipe for Chinese eggplant, you'll be sure to enjoy more of my favourite Chinese recipes.
- Chinese Snow Pea Shoots with Garlic
- Chicken Egg Foo Young
- Pork Rib Soup with Noodles
- Chinese Shandong Roast Chicken
- Chinese Oxtail Soup
- Duck Congee
- Taiwanese 3-Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
- Chinese Braised Pork Belly – Hong Shao Rou (Instant Pot Style)
- Chinese Cucumber Salad
- Chinese Xinjiang Lamb Skewers
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp ginger (finely grated)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely grated)
- ¼ cup Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (light)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- ½ cup water
For the stir fry
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 Chinese eggplant (cut into thick batons)
- 2 spring onions (green onions/scallion) (thinly sliced) for garnish
- 1 red chilli (finely sliced) for garnish
Instructions
To make the sauce
- Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce
- Heat the 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok. When hot, fry the garlic and ginger for 20 seconds until browning. Pour in the stock mixture and let it bubble for 30 seconds until thickened. Remove from the heat and pour into a waiting bowl.
To make the eggplant
- Wipe the wok clean and heat the 2 tbsp of vegetable oil until hot. Add the eggplant and let it char on the bottom for 1-2 minutes. Toss around and let more of the eggplant brown. Cook for a total of 5 minutes until the eggplant is starting to soften.
- Pour in the sauce and stir to coat everything - add about ¼-½ cup water and cover the pan. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes then remove the lid and let it simmer furiously to thicken for a further 1-2 minutes until the eggplant is soft and creamy.
- Remove from the heat and scatter over the spring onion and chilli. That's it!
Notes
- Skins: People can often be a little weird about eggplant skins, but absolutely leave the skins on for this recipe, they'll soften and be easy to eat. They're also full of nutrients!
- Hot stuff: Eggplant cooked this way can feel as hot as the face of the sun in your mouth. Be careful when you eat - take it from a greedy person who often burns their mouth out with hasty spoonfuls. Delicious can be dangerous, you have been warned.
- Salting eggplant - personally, I tend not to salt my eggplant for this dish (to remove excess moisture), but if you want to, sprinkle the cut eggplant liberally with salt and leave for 20 mins or so, then wipe dry with paper towels before use.
Serving and storing suggestions
Typically I'll eat this as part of a larger meal, but this Chinese eggplant works so well on its own too, spooned over some steamed or fried rice.- Fridge: Chinese eggplant will stay fresh in the fridge for a good week it's actually pretty good reheated.
- Freezer: On this occasion, fresh is best, so I personally would not recommend freezing leftovers.
Nutrition
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