Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce

Eggplant is a very tricky vegetable to cook. If you don’t season it properly, it will taste bitter or extremely plain. If using too little oil, the texture will be mushy and create an awful mouthfeel. And if you use too much oil, the eggplant might turn soggy and greasy.

If you don’t like cooking eggplant at home, you probably have some of the worries below:

  • Eggplant is quite time consuming to cook, compared to the average vegetable.
  • You’ll end up eating more calories without getting an impressive flavor.

That is why I’m posting this Chinese eggplant recipe today, to help you to create a wonderful eggplant dish nearly effortlessly.

This recipe offers the simplest way to cook a great eggplant dish without using too much oil, and avoids soggy and plain eggplant with the minimum needed cooking time.

Homemade Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce

How to make the perfect eggplant dish

The secret to getting perfect Chinese style eggplant involves two things.

  1. You have to prepare the eggplant properly before cooking in order to get the right texture.
  2. You need to make a sauce that is flavorful enough.

To prepare the eggplant, there are two ways to do it.

Before introducing the first method, I want to thank my friend Steve S. He taught me this method quite a long time ago, to prevent the eggplant from absorbing oil.

The method is:

  1. Spread the sliced eggplant on a towel.
  2. Sprinkle Kosher salt on both surfaces of the sliced eggplant.
  3. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
  4. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and pat each surface dry.

The second way is:

  1. Place the eggplant in a large bowl and add water to cover.
  2. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, mix well.
  3. Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant under water for 15 minutes.
  4. Drain and pat dry
How to prepare eggplant for stir frying

I personally prefer the second method. Because when soaking the eggplant in the water, it also preserve the white color of the eggplant and prevent it from oxidizing and turning brown.

Once you’ve finished either of the methods above, there is one more step – after the eggplant is completely dry, sprinkle cornstarch over it and mix by hand, until the eggplant is evenly coated with a thin layer of cornstarch.

Using this method, you can create crispy and nicely charred eggplant on the stovetop in 10 minutes. No need to turn on the oven to get the smoky flavor!

Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce close up

Garlic sauce ingredients

Creating a good sauce is really easy and you only need these ingredients:

  • Light soy sauce
  • Dark soy sauce: dark soy sauce add a beautiful dark brown color to the dish and a hint of caramel taste.
  • Sugar: the sugar balance out the salty ingredients for a more roundup sauce.
  • Cornstarch: the cornstarch acts as a thicker to thicken the sauce.

Just mix everything together and pour it over the eggplant at the end of cooking.

Mix en place

It’s important to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before starting the stir fry. Your table should have:

  • Eggplant, sliced, prepared according to either of the two methods listed above, and coated with cornstarch
  • Mixed sauce
  • Aromatics, chopped (ginger, garlic)

How to cook Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce

1. Pan frying the eggplant until golden on the surface, and the inside has turned tender. Transfer the eggplant to a plate. This step is crucial to keep the eggplant crispy.

    Pan fry the eggplant

    2. Saute the aromatics.

    Cook the aromatics

      3. Add back the eggplant and add the mixed sauce. The sauce will thicken up immediately. And the dish is done!

      Add back the sauce to finish the dish

      This recipe only uses enough sauce to coat the eggplant to keep the eggplant pieces crispy.

      Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce served in a plate

      More delicious eggplant recipes

      Happy cooking and hope you enjoy the dish!

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      Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce close up

      Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (红烧茄子)

      By Maggie Zhu
      4.86 from 213 votes
      Prep Time: 25 minutes
      Cook Time: 15 minutes
      Total Time: 40 minutes
      Servings: 2 to 4
      Print
      The eggplant is grilled until crispy and smoky, and then cooked in a rich savory garlic sauce. This vegan dish is very satisfying, both as a side or a main dish served over rice or noodles.
      To make the dish gluten-free, use tamari or coconut amino to replace light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.

      Ingredients 

      • 10 oz Chinese eggplant (about 2 small eggplant) , chopped to bite-size pieces (*Footnote 1)
      • 1 teaspoon salt
      • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

      Sauce (*footnote 2)

      Stir-fry

      • 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
      • 1 teaspoon ginger , minced
      • 3 cloves garlic , chopped

      Instructions

      • (Option 1) Place eggplant in a large bowl and add water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt, mix well. Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant under water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
      • (Option 2) Spread the sliced eggplant out on a paper towel. Sprinkle Kosher salt on both sides of the eggplant slices. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Rinse with running tap water to wash off the salt, then pat dry thoroughly.
      • Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mix well.
      • Sprinkle eggplant with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix by hand, until eggplant is evenly coated with with a thin layer of cornstarch.
      • Add 2 tablespoons oil to a big nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat until hot. Spread eggplant across the bottom of the skillet without overlapping. Cook the eggplant one side at a time until all the surfaces are charred and the eggplant turns soft, 8 to 10 minutes in total. Transfer the eggplants to a plate. If the skillet gets too hot and starts to smoke, turn to medium heat.
      • Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil, the ginger and garlic into the same skillet. Stir a few times until fragrant. Add all the eggplant back into the skillet. Mix the sauce again until cornstarch is fully dissolved and pour it over the eggplant. Immediately stir a few times, until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a big plate.
      • Serve hot as a side or as main over steamed rice or noodles.

      Video

      Ingredient Substitution Guide

      Notes

      1. You can use other type of eggplant and still generate crispy texture if following the method in this recipe. However, Asian long eggplant is the best option.
      2. This recipe uses very little sauce, just enough to coat the eggplant and make it tastes super flavorful. The rich sauce helps to keep the eggplant staying crispy. Be careful, the sauce will reduce very quickly once you add it to the pan. Stir immediately to coat the eggplant. 
      3. The dark soy sauce will add color to the dish and make it look more appetizing. You can skip it if you don’t have any in your pantry.

      Nutrition

      Serving: 119g, Calories: 122kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1.4g, Fat: 8.7g, Saturated Fat: 1.4g, Sodium: 375mg, Potassium: 252mg, Fiber: 3.7g, Sugar: 5.1g, Vitamin C: 4.1mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 0.4mg

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