You’ve gotta try this Chinese eggplant stir-fry—it’s an easy-to-make dish that’s both healthy and delicious. It’s surprising how good it is without any meat. I just can’t stop eating it! 😍
Eggplant Stir Fry
About This Chinese Eggplant Recipe
I’ve been testing with this recipe for a while now, and I have to confess, it’s quite addictive. And the best part? No guilt, since it’s meatless.
Once you sauté the eggplant, it gets really smooth and silky, soaking up all the tasty sauce. The bell pepper adds a little extra texture and flavour to the mix. making each bite even more satisfying.
If you take out the oyster sauce from the ingredients, this dish can easily become vegan or vegetarian-friendly.
How to Cut Eggplant
Eggplant can be cut into any shape, for this recipe, we’ll be using strips.
- Cutting eggplant against the grain, like in the image below, makes the strips more likely to breaking during cooking. (Yep, I tried it, and they ended up falling apart into small pieces.)
- If we cut the eggplant along the long, thin lines inside (the grain), most of the strips will keep their skin on. This helps them hold together better when cooked and prevents them from falling apart.
Ingredients
- Eggplant: You can use any type of eggplant, but some varieties might need slightly different cooking times.
- Bell Pepper: If you’re up for a bit of heat, fresh chili peppers are an option.
- Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce gives this dish a yummy seafood taste. To make it vegan, you can simply swap it with the same amount of soy sauce.
- Soy Sauce: This recipe uses regular soy sauce for saltiness and dark soy sauce for a richer color. If you don’t have dark soy sauce, you can substitute it by using just half the amount of regular soy sauce instead.
- Corn Starch: We use cornstarch to make the sauce thicker, but be careful not to add too much. Too much cornstarch can make the sauce like jelly.
Instructions
Step One: Boil the eggplant
- Boil the eggplant strips in water until soft.
- Drain the water and gently press the eggplant with a spatula to remove excess water.
Step Two: Cook the bell pepper and garlic
- Set the heat to medium and add oil and bell pepper to a non-stick pan, cooking until softened.
- Add garlic and continue cooking until lightly golden.
Step Three: Add eggplant strips and sauce
- Add the eggplant strips and the sauce, stirring to combine everything. Cover with a lid and cook over low to medium heat for approximately 2 minutes.
- Remove the lid, continue cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens and starts to sizzle. If it becomes dry, add a bit of oil. Then, serve.
Recipe Tips
- Like many homemade dishes, feel free to adjust the amount of bell pepper or eggplant to your preference. Just make sure to get the saltiness right.
- In the first step, be sure to squeeze out the water from the eggplant. Otherwise, the eggplant acts like a sponge, absorbing too much water and not enough sauce. Alternatively, you can use the steam method to cook the eggplant.
- In the second step, when cooking the bell pepper, avoid stirring excessively. Ensure the bell pepper is slightly browned.
- Before pouring in the sauce, ensure you stir it evenly to prevent the cornstarch from sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
- You can serve it as a main dish alongside rice, or mix it with noodles or pasta.
Isn’t it simple to make? Now it’s your turn to try it out in your kitchen and enjoy! 🤗
Chinese Eggplant Stir Fry
Try this easy Chinese eggplant stir fry recipe for a flavourful, meatless meal. Silky eggplant in a savoury sauce – perfect for busy nights!
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Servings 2
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant (cut into stripes)
- 1 cup bell pepper (cut into small pieces)
- 2 tablespoon garlic (finely chopped)
- 4 tablespoon oil (more or less to your preference)
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Boil the eggplant: Boil the eggplant strips in water until soft.Drain the water and gently press the eggplant with a spatula to remove excess water.
- Cook the bell pepper and garlic: Set the heat to medium and add oil and bell pepper to a non-stick pan, cooking until softened.Add garlic and continue cooking until lightly golden.
- Add eggplant strips and sauce: Add the eggplant strips and the sauce, stirring to combine everything. Cover with a lid and cook over low to medium heat for approximately 2 minutes.Remove the lid, continue cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens and starts to sizzle. If it becomes dry, add a bit of oil. Then, serve.
Recipe Notes:
- Eggplant: You can use any type of eggplant, but some varieties might need slightly different cooking times.
- Bell Pepper: If you’re up for a bit of heat, fresh chili peppers are an option.
- Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce gives this dish a yummy seafood taste. To make it vegan, you can simply swap it with the same amount of soy sauce.
- Soy Sauce: This recipe uses regular soy sauce for saltiness and dark soy sauce for a richer color. If you don’t have dark soy sauce, you can substitute it by using just half the amount of regular soy sauce instead.
- Corn Starch: We use cornstarch to make the sauce thicker, but be careful not to add too much. Too much cornstarch can make the sauce like jelly.
- Like many homemade dishes, feel free to adjust the amount of bell pepper or eggplant to your preference. Just make sure to get the saltiness right.
- In the first step, be sure to squeeze out the water from the eggplant. Otherwise, the eggplant acts like a sponge, absorbing too much water and not enough sauce. Alternatively, you can use the steam method to cook the eggplant.
- In the second step, when cooking the bell pepper, avoid stirring excessively. Ensure the bell pepper is slightly browned.
- You can serve it as a main dish alongside rice, or mix it with noodles or pasta.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 395kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 5gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 889mgPotassium: 745mgFiber: 9gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 2386IUVitamin C: 103mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg
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