This recipe for Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce is one of my favorite ways of cooking eggplant! Give it a try and enjoy it with a side of rice or rice noodles.
I’m a huge eggplant fan as you probably have noticed from the many eggplant recipes I have on my blog, so I couldn’t miss this awesome Chinese eggplant recipe with sticky garlic sauce, as part of this month’s challenge of cooking vegan Asian recipes.
Eggplant is a very popular vegetable used in recipes from all over the world. I find that the combination of eggplant and garlic is absolutely perfect, so when I discovered this popular Chinese recipe I immediately wanted to give it a try.
This recipe is quite different from other eggplant recipes I’ve tried in the past, as it has a different method of cooking eggplant as well as a unique type of garlic sauce. Salting the eggplant at the beginning of this recipe is a technique I’ve never used before. I usually buy young, small eggplants which are not that bitter, but apparently this method will help eliminate the bitterness of eggplants and make it taste even better.
Also, patting it dry before salting and cooking improve the eggplant’s texture, making it slightly crispy. This is definitely something I’ll remember next time I cook with eggplants! 🙂
I recently found out that China is the world’s leading producer and consumer of eggplants, so they know how to cook this awesome veggie.
The rest of the flavors blend so well together. The ginger adds some spiciness to the dish, the sauce is silky and sticky, the coconut sugar gives it a sweet taste and the garlic enhances everything! I just love everything about this recipe. You can also cook it in advance if you want to meal prep, as it can be stored in a container in the fridge for a couple of days and reheated.
You can eat this with rice noodles, rice, or maybe even put it in a burger bun and enjoy an amazing lunch!
Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
For the eggplant:
- 3 eggplant sliced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp green onion chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
For the sauce:
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 2 ½ tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- ½ tbsp oil
Instructions
- Spread the sliced eggplant on a paper towel. Sprinkle sea salt on both sides of the eggplant slices. Cover with another layer of paper towel and allow to rest for 45-60 minutes. Pat dry.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine all the sauce ingredient, mix well and set aside.
- In a big bowl, combine dry eggplant with tapioca and mix to evenly coat every piece.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add oil.Spread the eggplant across the bottom of the pan in a single layer.
- Fry the eggplant on both sides until all golden and soft, for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining eggplant in batches.
- In a large wok pan, heat a little bit more oil, add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add all the eggplant to the wok and pour the sauce over. Stir a few times, until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Top with chopped greens and serve with some rice noodles or rice on a side.
Nutrition
If you make this, please leave a review and rating if you liked this recipe! ★★★★★
TQ
Tuesday 29th of December 2020
When you indicate 3 large eggplant, do you mean large Italian eggplant or large Chinese/Japanese eggplant? I'd like to try and make this and want to get the right ones. Thanks.
TQ
Tuesday 29th of December 2020
Sorry, just figured it out. Don't need to reply, Ruxandra.
Ahnjalee
Sunday 29th of November 2020
It was very good, I used kamut floor as I did not have tapioca. But tasted so good.
Gail Wood
Saturday 7th of March 2020
Hi, this sounds great, but after I've salted my eggplant for other dishes, I always rinse the salt off then dry it so it's not too salty. Do you have any comments on that. Thanks. P.S. I'll definitely be trying your recipe, sounds so easy!
Ruxandra
Friday 3rd of April 2020
Hi, Gail. This technique is good for older, larger eggplants which can be bitter. I used smaller ones which don't have this issue. But of course, you can use this technique, just to be sure.
Diane N
Saturday 17th of August 2019
Can cornstarch be substituted for the tapioca flour?
Ruxandra Micu
Monday 7th of October 2019
Yes, but the texture will be different. Tapioca will make the sauce sticky and gooey, not just thick.
Erin
Friday 19th of July 2019
This was delicious! I did use a little too much salt on the first step of the eggplant - I will know better next time. Great flavor, enough sauce - perfect! Thank you!
Ruxandra Micu
Tuesday 23rd of July 2019
Hi, Erin! Glad you liked it! <3