Calling all you Eggplant lovers out there! Here’s a flavor bomb you won’t want to miss – Spicy Chinese Eggplant with Szechuan Sauce -a tasty, easy vegan dinner recipe you can serve over jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, rice noodles, black rice or even quinoa! See 45-second video!
The other day, I bought some beautiful Chinese eggplant at the farmers market and was going through the list of asian eggplant recipes in my mind, when I remembered a stunning dish we had in Shanghai a few years back, and dug up my old recipe notes.
There it was in BOLD – Spicy Chinese Eggplant with Szechuan Sauce with a huge star and circle around it – a reminder to share it with you! So here it is, and boy is this tasty! I can’t wait for you to give it a go. The eggplant is succulent and flavorful, a fun way to cook it! For more delicious ways to cook with eggplant, please take a peek at our 20+ Best Eggplant Recipes.
How to make Chinese Eggplant | 30-Second Video!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Chinese EggplanT!
- Perfect Texture – The eggplant is deliciously caramelized with crispy charred edges. It is crispy, not soggy and uses a minimum amount of oil.
- Amazing Flavor– spicy, garlicky, subtly sweet. Better then a restaurant!
- It is vegan– It makes a light main dish or a great side dish. For extra protein serve it with our crispy tofu!
- It’s adaptable! Feel free to use this same technique with other vegetables- or add zucchini or bell peppers.
Chinese Eggplant Ingredient Notes
- Chinese or Japanese eggplant- both are long and slender, with few seeds, and hold up well in stir fries.
- Dried Red Chilies- Keep in mind, you never eat these chilies– they just give the oil a little spicy heat, permeating the whole dish. They are quite spicy!
- Szechuan Sauce– A magical combination of Szechuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic, vinegar, garlic chili paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, 5-spice and sweetener. Feel free to use gluten-free liquid aminos. The Szechuan Peppercorns are zingy and numbing, an acquired taste, for sure! Feel free to use black peppercorns instead if you prefer.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Chinese Eggplant:
STEP ONE– It starts with cutting the eggplant into bite-sized pieces. Cut at a diagonal so each piece is like a triangle, about an inch thick at its thickest end. Try to get get them roughly the same size for even cooking. Cut a wedge then turn the eggplant, cut again and turn.
Tip: This works best with Japanese eggplant ( long and skinny) versus globe eggplant.
STEP TWO– Once all the eggplant are cut ( 4 x 10-inch eggplants), place in a bowl of salted water for 20 minutes. Cover with a plate so the eggplant is submerged. Let sit 20-30 mins.
TIP: Salting the eggplant helps the eggplant soak up less oil when stir-frying.
STEP THREE- Mise en place ( get things prepped and ready). While the eggplant soaks, prep the garlic, ginger and Szechuan sauce and place them by the stove.
STEP FOUR– Drain the eggplant, rinse, then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Then coat in cornstarch. This helps the eggplant get crispy.
STEP FIVE– Sear the eggplant over medium high heat in an extra-large flat skillet, versus a round wok. The eggplant need a little time to cook through and get each side brown. It is much easier to do this in a flat skillet.
Sear each side of the eggplant pieces. Fry in two batches, and this is where you will need a little patience. Each batch will take about 10 minutes, and require to turn the eggplant over one by one to get each side golden. When the eggplant pieces are deeply golden, even slightly charred, set them aside.
STEP SIX– Stir fry the ginger and garlic for a quick minute then add the chilies. Make sure to have your fan on! (Keep in mind, you never eat these chilies– they just give the oil a little spicy heat, permeating the whole dish.)
Pour in the prepped Szechuan sauce. Cook it for 20 seconds then add the Eggplant back into the skillet, gently coating. This will smell and taste amazing!
What To Serve With Chinese Eggplant
TO SERVE- Place the fragrant eggplant in a serving dish, or divide among bowls over Jasmine rice, brown rice, black rice or quinoa and top with green onions or chives and roasted peanuts.
Chinese Eggplant FAQS
Yes the skin is completely edible and has a lot of nutrients.
Chinese eggplant is thin and long with fewer seeds which makes it less bitter and some say it is slightly sweet. The plants tend to be prolific producers.
The most common eggplant is globe eggplant it is bigger and fleshier.
Coming from the Sichuan Provence in Southwestern China, Szechuan cuisine is usually spicy and contains ingredients such as: dried red chilies, Szechuan peppercorns, ginger, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, 5-spice, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, to name a few.
Chinese Eggplant is called Oriental Charm or Pingtung Long. Long and skinny with with fewer seeds they are less bitter and will hold its shape when cooked in stir fries.
Make this Chinese Eggplant soon, while eggplants are still available at your farmer’s market! Enjoy!
xoxo Sylvia
More Recipes You May Enjoy
- Szechuan Asparagus with Garlic, Ginger and Chilies
- Kung Pao Noodles!
- Chinese Five Spice
- Moo Shu Tofu
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Szechuan Eggplant
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main, vegan
- Method: stovetop, stir-fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Chinese Eggplant with Szechuan Sauce with chilies and peanuts– a tasty, easy vegan dinner recipe! Serve with Rice, black rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or rice noodles.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs Japanese Eggplant (about 4 x 10 inch eggplants)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- bowl of water
- —-
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2–4 tablespoons peanut oil ( or wok oil)
- —
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 2 teaspoons ginger, finely minced
- 5–10 dried red chilies
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns ( or sub regular peppercorns)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic chili paste ( or sub 1 teaspoon chili flakes)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (or mirin)
- 3 tablespoons sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup or alternative
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice
Garnish with scallions and roasted peanuts or Peanut Chili crunch
Instructions
- Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch thick half-moons or into bite-sized pieces ( see photos). Place in a big bowl covered with water and stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Cover with a plate and let stand 20-30 minutes.
- In the meantime, chop the garlic and ginger and make the Szechuan Sauce.
- To make the Szechuan Sauce: Toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Crush. Place these along with the remaining ingredients ( soy, chili paste, sesame oil, rice vinegar, Chinese cooking wine, sugar, and five spice) in a small bowl and whisk. Set by the stove.
- Drain and rinse the eggplant and pat dry with a towel. Toss with the corn starch.
- Working in 2 batches, heat 1 -2 tablespoons oil in an extra-large skillet over medium heat. Add half the eggplant spreading them out. You want to get both sides nice and golden, and the insides cooked through -so take your time here and dont rush this step. Let one side brown then turn them over using tongs. This will take about 10 minutes for each batch. ( If in a hurry sometimes I’ll use 2 pans.) Set the eggplant aside.
- Add 1 more tablespoon oil to the skillet, and over medium heat, add the garlic and ginger, stirring for 2 minutes. Turn the fan on, add the dried chilis and stir one minute.
- Pour the Szechuan sauce into the pan and bring to a simmer for 20 seconds. Add the eggplant back into the skillet, tossing gently for about 30 seconds. Don’t over-reduce, or it will get salty. If it seems dry, add a tablespoon of water to loosen.
- Place in a serving dish and top with scallions and optional peanuts.
- Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, black rice or rice noodles.
Notes
Be patient browning each side of the eggplant. This will take a little time but reward you greatly.
I’ve found that the flat surface of a skillet, verses using a wok is much easier to use to get those sides golden.
Feel free to sub cashews for the peanuts, of leave off completely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 323
- Sugar: 17.8 g
- Sodium: 1110.4 mg
- Fat: 21.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.6 g
- Fiber: 7.4 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This looks amazing!
If I wanted to add minced pork to this, how would I alter the recipe?
Hi George! I would brown it in the pan first, then set it aside, and add it right after you add the sauce. 🙂
Very good and tasty. Definitely will include in favorites menu recipe book😊
Thanks Normita!
Really yummy and the pointers were spot on (esp not crowding the egg plant while it fries and not rushing it). Flavor meld together perfectly and the bit of green scallion and peanuts at the end make it look as well as taste like a show stopper.
Yay, so glad this worked for you Lizzy!
I am obsessed with this recipe! I have literally made it a dozen times now, and I just keep wanting to eat it again. I also spend longer and longer browning the eggplant each time because the results are so worth it.
Awesome Robin, I love this one too!
this was very good and tasted restaurant made. I left out
the cornstarch, used half the amount of garlic, used the
white wine I had rather than the mirin. I used a conventional
eggplant, but I will use Japanese ones the next time
thank you for this recipe!!
Thanks Pat!
Great flavor! Will definitely make again.
thanks Dee!
Just WOW. So delicious. I love eggplant but almost never cook with it because I find it… difficult. My past efforts have mostly result in an oily, mushy inedible mess. But this was incredible. Your technique resulted in perfectly crisp eggplant – I’ll make this again and again! Thank you.
Great to hear Donna!
Thank you, an excellent dish. I live on an island in the Mediterranean so I could not get the Asian eggplants. But I found using local globe eggplants first cut into circular slices and then each slice cut into 60 degree wedges from the centre leaves each wedge with enough of the outer skin in place to hold it together. I also discovered and enjoyed your peanut chilli crunch which I am finding very versatile. So a double thank you!
Thanks Alan-and glad that worked for you!
I had this eggplant dish years a go .I made this dish with globe eggplant and it still was just as good as in restaurant. Thank you will make this and other recipes
Of yours.
Thanks MaryAnn! Appreciate this!
Amazing flavor from such a simple recipe. Must follow all the steps …especially mise-en-place. Perpetually requested by the kids when they come to visit.
Awesome Len- great to hear- thanks!
absolutely delicious. i had no mirin, but i did not feel it was lacking in flavor. will make again and again. thanks for the recipe.
Great to hear Chiseche!
This was delicious and the recipe is well written. I added red and yellow pepper strips for colour as I happened to have some on hand. I’ll definitely make this again. My kids may eat aubergine yet!
Perfect Tony- thanks!
…oops I mean to give this fives stars but forgot to click on it before I pressed submit!
I made this last night following the recipe and it was very good. I also added strips of red and yellow pepper for colour as I had some on hand. The recipe is well written. Thanks for the advice about taking the time to cook the eggplant. We’ll definitely make this again. .
This is a fantastic recipe
We couldn’t stop eating it
I will be making it again soon!
Glad you enjoyed Pippa!
Cooked this last week – loved it so much that I’ll cook it again today ! Thank you
Awesome Maike!
Delicious recipe and useful tips. I didn’t coat eggplant with cornstarch, but did brown on pan. Added Indian red pepper instead of red chilies. Thanks!
Perfect Suneeta!
This dish tastes phenomenal! Wow! The texture of the eggplant and flavors are top notch. I haven’t tasted anything better at Asian restaurants. My “other” feedback would be 1.) it took alot more oil than mentioned to cook the eggplant in batches. And 2.) it takes soooo long to prepare/cook. (it took me 4 separate batches) So, if you don’t mind standing over the stove for a while…watching and waiting IT IS SO WORTH IT. You have a tremendous skill for bringing balance in flavoring your dishes.
Thanks Carolyn! Apprecate the feedback.
Planning on making this today. Before I begin, Im curious about the step requiring the eggplant to be soaked. Is this step crucial? Would it make the eggplant soggy? Conversely, If I skip this step and drench them in cornstarch, would it make them too dry?
Thank you! Cant wait to make this.
It doesn’t make the eggplant soggy- soaking it makes it less bitter and also prevents oil from being absorbed- so less oily. That being said, I like your idea, you should try it!
Just made this last night and it was amazing! i followed the recipe almost exactly and it is really a sound recipe. The cooking tips for the eggplant are key and the sauce is the perfect balance. It also really breaks down how to do a stir fry correctly. This goes in the regular rotation!
Thanks, Amber, I’m so glad this eggplant recipe worked for you!
This mix of textures and hotness is addictive. I’ve made it several times already and get regular cravings for this dish. Best recipe I found for eggplant so far. And I haven’t even found the Shechouan peppercorn yet (I used regular pepper).
Glad. you are enjoying this Natalia!
Wow! This was sooooo good! We’re trying to add in more vegan options into our meals and this was phenomenal! I omitted the dried red peppers since I couldn’t find them, I also added mushrooms and zucchini because I didn’t realize how small Japanese eggs plants are when I ordered them… but overall, seriously delicious meal. Next time I will just make it with the egg plant because it really did pair very well with the sauce. Thanks so much !
Thanks Nicole!
This is a great recipe. I didn’t have five spice powder so I left that out and I actually added a little cornstarch (about 2-3 tsp) to the sauce to thicken it. I also added some sauteed cabbage and plant-based ground beef (needed to cook both anyway) then served over brown rice. The sauce was amazing and I look forward to trying this with the five spice powder next time. To everyone: the Szechuan peppercorn is really key and worth getting. Definitely a keeper in the rotation! Thanks!
Sounds perfect! Yes, try the five-spice, it truly elevates!
I just had to comment again. This recipe is delicious and one of our favorite. It’s got such great flavor and texture! And it’s still amazing heated as a leftover. It’s a keeper in our house. Thank you!!!
Thanks so much Marti! Appreciate you!
What a wonderful dish! It’s a hit with my family. I especially liked using crushed peppercorns instead of whole because the flavor can be overwhelming when you bite into it.
thanks Nina!