Eggplant with Tomato (西红柿炒茄子)
Eggplant with tomato stir fry is a delightful summer dish that is perfect for a side and satisfying as a main. The eggplant is slightly charred, cooked with tender tomato in an aromatic savory brown sauce. It’s very easy to put together for your weekday dinner! {Vegetarian Adaptable, Gluten-Free Adaptable}To make the dish gluten-free, use tamari to replace the light and dark soy sauce, and use rice vinegar to replace Chinkiang vinegar. The dish will have a lighter color due to the lack of dark soy sauce but should still be very tasty.To make the dish vegetarian or vegan, use vegetable broth to replace the chicken broth.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 (1 lb / 450 g) Chinese eggplants (, cut into large bite-size pieces)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chicken broth ((or use vegetable broth for a vegetarian dish))
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Chinkiang vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil ((or vegetable oil))
- 2 cloves garlic (, sliced)
- 1 green onion (, sliced)
- 1 large tomato (, sliced to large bite-size pieces)
Instructions
- 1
Add the sliced eggplant into a big bowl and water to cover. Add the 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to dissolve completely. Let soak for 15 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. Once done, drain the eggplant, rinse again with cold tap water to remove any salt. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels.
- 2
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
- 3
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the eggplant. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant has lightly charred and softened. Transfer the eggplant to a big plate and set aside.
- 4
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and green onion. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
- 5
Add the tomato. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes, until the tomato starts to break down. Then add back the eggplant.
- 6
Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a plate and serve hot as a main or side dish.