You either love eggplant or you don’t. In my household, I’m the one that does, my partner does not. He is not a fan of the texture, at all. Because he travels for work, I tend to wait until he travels to make any dish involving eggplant. It’s the texture. It’s too slimy, and I totally understand. When I do utilize eggplant, it’s this Chinese-style stir-fried eggplant. It’s certainly one of my personal favorites and I am confident will be a go-to for you as well.
Other eggplant dishes you can make
I’ve listed some other eggplant dishes you can make below. Not all of them are Chinese inspired, but they are definitely some of my favorites, to name a few:
- Eggplant parmesan
- Szechuan eggplant
- Chinese cold eggplant salad
- Baba Ghanoush dip
How long should I cook Chinese stir fried eggplant?
How long you cook really depends on how small you cut the eggplant! The type of eggplant matters too. For this recipe, I used the type of eggplant you’d find in any grocery store, aka the big fat ones. But if you can get your hands on the long Chinese eggplant, you should. You will get more of the eggplant skin to make your dish stand out with color. Because they are thinner, the less cutting you have to do as well.
Now, when it comes to cooking, I tend to first sear the eggplant on all sides to a nice golden. For the skin side, sear until it’s blistered. I do this in batches. When I’m done searing, I then let it braise in the sauce on medium heat for about 5 minutes. This should cook it all the way through.
TL;DR: sear on all sides until golden, then let it cook on medium heat for at least 5 minutes.
Chinese stir fried eggplant in a soy glaze
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant chopped in 2-inch pieces
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 1/2 onion sliced or chopped
- 2 scallions chopped
- 3 + garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tsp ginger finely chopped
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- Cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Season the eggplant with salt and let side for about 10 minutes. Pat out any excess liquid.
- While you wait for the moisture to release, make the sauce by mixing 1 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and 3 tbsp water.
- Preheat the wok on medium-high heat. When ready, add the 3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Fry the eggplant on all sides. Do this in batches to prevent steaming. Set aside.
- Next, add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to the wok. Add the 1/2 sliced onion and 2 chopped scallions and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the 3 (or more) chopped garlic cloves and the 1 tsp finely chopped ginger. Sauté for one more minute.
- Add the eggplant back to the wok. Next, add the sauce, give it a good mix and lower the heat to medium. During this time, the brown sugar will caramelize and thicken the sauce. Feel free to add 1-2 tbsp of water if the sauce is cooking away too much. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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