Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (Eggplant Stir-Fry)

How to make Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce – a quick, simple, flavorful eggplant stir-fry perfect for serving over rice or noodles for a simple mid-week meal! All you need is 11 ingredients, 20 minutes (after salting), for a dish that is naturally vegan and can be made gluten-free!

I may be slightly biased because I eat eggplant literally weekly; however, it’s a bit of a common misconception that eggplant is terribly tricky to cook right. It’s true that eggplant can end up awfully bland, firm, or greasy when cooked wrong. However, with the proper methods, you’ll never have to worry about that again. As someone who’s cooked eggplant fries, baba ghanoush, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, and this Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce stir-fry, I like to think I have the “methods” sorted! This simple pan-fried eggplant stir-fry is surprisingly simple to make and yet is absolutely packed with flavor.

Stir-fries have become a new favorite of mine in the last year. Along with this Chinese eggplant stir-fry, I’ve recently shared kimchi fried rice, Korean japchae noodles, vegetable lo Mein, breakfast fried rice, and Thai basil beef (Pad kra pow). And I have no plans to slow down any time soon!

This recipe is so easy and also quite quick to make. By the time the eggplant has been stir-fried and almost “braised” in the Chinese garlic sauce, it’s tender enough to practically melt in your mouth. Plus, it is still packed with sweet, savory, and umami-rich flavor. Based on the Chinese Yu Xiang Qie Zi (meaning “fish-fragrant eggplant”), this dish is one of my favorites. Despite what the name may lead you to believe, it is fish-free. Instead, it’s thought that the sauce was so often used with fish, which gave it the name.

In fact, this garlic eggplant stir-fry recipe is naturally vegan and can be made gluten-free with just a simple ingredient swap! In no time at all, you’ll be enjoying restaurant-quality Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce!

The Ingredients

• Eggplant: it’s best to use smaller eggplant for this recipe, as these tend to have fewer seeds and so are naturally less bitter. Chinese eggplant (also called Asian/Japanese eggplant) is naturally smaller and longer than American/UK versions, so if you can source them, then use them.
• Stock: I used a homemade stock cube dissolved in water. You can alternatively use another stock cube, tub, or liquid stock. Feel free to use reduced-sodium if preferred. Alternatively, you can use only water.
• Aromatics: I used a classic Asian combination of ginger, garlic (use ginger paste and garlic paste if preferred), and chili peppers (use chili paste or chili flakes instead, if prepared).
• Spices: I used Szechuan peppercorns (black pepper will also work). I didn’t find any additional salt was necessary due to the addition of soy sauce and miso.
• Green onions: aka scallions, finely chopped.
• Sugar: just a pinch is needed to balance the flavors in this Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce. If you’d prefer to use unrefined sugar, use coconut sugar or a little maple.
• Sesame oil: helps to pack in flavor to the pan-fried eggplant. Alternatively, you can use a combination of neutral cooking oil (like olive oil) with just a little sesame oil. For extra spice, use a combination of sesame oil and chili oil.
• Soy sauce: feel free to use reduced-sodium, but dark soy will yield the best flavor. For gluten-free, use liquid aminos or tamari.
• Miso: just a little helps to add umami and depth to the flavor of the dish.

For more of a traditional Chinese garlic sauce, you can also add 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine and 1-2 tablespoon vinegar. Chinkiang vinegar is best, but rice wine vinegar would also work. Balsamic would work in a pinch – you may need a little more sugar to balance the flavors, though.

Optional Add-ins

There are several ways you can adapt this Chinese garlic eggplant stir-fry.

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• Other vegetables: there are several other veggies you could add, including julienned carrot, mushrooms, and peppers. You could even add a little tomato perhaps (I haven’t tried).
• Nuts: instead of the sesame seeds, you could top off the stir-fried eggplant with lightly toasted cashews or peanuts.
• Aromatics: in terms of the sauce, there are several ways you can increase flavor – for example, with oyster sauce or hoisin sauce.
• Protein: instead of or alongside the eggplant, you could add tofu or chickpeas for added protein.

How to Make Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce

Step 1: Prepare the eggplant

First, chop the eggplant into 1-inch cubes, salt, and set aside for 20 minutes. I like to do this in a colander to naturally drain. You can also lightly pat the pieces with a kitchen towel to remove any excess water (and salt).

Step 2: Prepare the remaining ingredients

Finely chop the chili. You can adjust the amount of heat by using less chili and/or removing the seeds from the chili.

Then chop the spring onion and grate or mince the garlic and ginger (or use ginger paste and garlic paste). Then prepare the stock by combining the stock cube with water and just lightly crush the peppercorns. I did this in a mini mortar and pestle, but you could also place them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Step 3: Stir-fry the eggplant

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat with the crushed peppercorns. Once hot, remove the larger pepper pieces and add the chili, garlic, and ginger, stirring for a minute.

Then, add the eggplant and stir-fry for a further two minutes.

If you want more of a smoky flavor, you can first grill the eggplant until slightly crispy and smoky. Then add it to the pan in the last few minutes of cooking the sauce. Alternatively, lightly toss the eggplant in cornstarch before pan-frying in a bit of oil (without the sauce) for stovetop slightly smoky flavor.

Then add the veggie stock (or just water), sugar, soy, and miso, and stir to combine. Then cook for between 10-15 minutes, or until softened with a reduced sauce.

If you want the sauce to be thinner, add a little more water or stock to your preference.

Give the Chinese garlic sauce a taste and adjust any ingredients (salt, sugar, chili, etc.). Finally, top with the green onions and some sesame seeds before serving. This Chinese eggplant stir-fry is best enjoyed over rice or noodles for a simple, healthy meal!

How to Make Ahead and Store 

Make ahead: since this recipe can be stored for 4-5 days, it’s great for making ahead. For an even quicker meal, you can pre-grill/cook the eggplant and prepare the sauce (reduces and thickened then store in a jar in the fridge) 2-3 days in advance. To prepare the meal, add the eggplant to a pan until heated, then add the sauce and mix until warm – add a little additional water if needed for the Chinese garlic sauce.

Fridge: store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered for between 4-5 days.

Reheat: reheat the garlic eggplant dish in the microwave or on the stovetop, optionally with a splash of water to thin the sauce once more.

FAQs

Recipe Notes & Variations

• If the sauce is too thin: create a cornstarch slurry with a little cornstarch and water, then add that to the sauce and stir until thickened. Do this right at the end of the cooking process, as it won’t take long to thicken.
• Adjust the spice: feel free to reduce/increase the chili or chili product used to adjust the spice levels to your personal preference.
• Adjust sauce ingredients: in general, most of the sauce ingredients can be adjusted to personal preference (soy for saltiness, sugar for sweetness, etc.)
• Soaking the eggplant: instead of salting the eggplant, you could soak it in saltwater instead, which reduces the bitterness, firms up the pieces, and stops them from soaking up as much oil – for healthier dishes. I usually don’t do this, but if you wanted to, add the eggplant to a bowl, cover with water and 1 teaspoon salt and keep submerged (weighted if needed) for 15-20 minutes.

More Delicious Eggplant Recipes

• Tomato and eggplant pasta
• Easy eggplant red pepper dip (Ajvar)
• Grilled eggplant and halloumi wrap
• Spicy roasted eggplant dip (Baigan Choka)
• Stuffed makdous (cured eggplant)
• Smoky eggplant dip (Moutabal)

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If you try this Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!