Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (鱼香茄子)
Eggplant with garlic sauce, or yu xiang qie zi (鱼香茄子), is a classic Sichuan dish, packed with savory, spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors. Our recipe is a healthier adaptation of the classic. The eggplants are steamed instead of deep fried, so the dish is much lighter, less greasy, and just as tasty!
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 pound Chinese eggplant (cut into 2 to 3 inch sticks)
- 4 ounces ground pork (ground chicken or turkey works too)
- 3 tablespoons garlic (roughly chopped (about 6 cloves))
- 1 tablespoon ginger (peeled and minced (about an inch knob))
- 1 tablespoon spicy broad bean paste (also known as la doubanjiang)
- 1 stalk green onion (thinly sliced (plus more for garnish))
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil ((optional))
- 1 teaspoon Chinese chili pepper flakes (more or less to your preference)
- 4 tablespoons oil (or as needed for cooking)
- Whole dry chili pepper ((optional for garnish))
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (light sodium)
- 1 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar (regular white vinegar is okay too)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- 1
Steam the eggplants:
- 2
Prepare pot or wok with a steaming rack or a steamer filled with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium to keep it at a high simmer.
- 3
If you're steaming in a pot or wok with a steaming rack, arrange the eggplant sticks in a heatproof plate or wide, shallow bowl. If you're steaming in a steamer, you can place the eggplants directly into the steam basket.
- 4
Steam the eggplants for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the white part of the eggplant can be easily indented. Remove from heat and set aside.
- 5
Prepare the sauce:
- 6
While the eggplants are steaming, prepare the sauce by combining everything (soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch). Give the sauce a good mix until the cornstarch is well incorporated and set aside.
- 7
Stir fry the dish:
- 8
In a wok or pan over medium to medium heat, add 4 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is shimmering and hot, add the garlic, ginger, spicy broad bean paste, ground chili pepper flakes, and whole dry chilies. Stir fry until fragrant and red in color, about 15 to 30 seconds.
- 9
Add the ground pork and stir fry until the pork is no longer pink. Make sure to break up the ground pork well.
- 10
When the pork is done, give the prepared sauce a good mix and pour it into the wok. Bring the sauce to a simmer and mix frequently until the sauce is thick and glossy. Reduce the heat to medium low.
- 11
Drain the steamed eggplants of excess water and add them to the wok. Gently stir and toss the eggplants until well coated.
- 12
Add the sliced green onions and the sesame oil and give the eggplants a couple more tosses.
- 13
Transfer the eggplant in garlic sauce to a serving bowl and garnish with more green onion if you like. Enjoy with rice!