eggplant stir fry

This Chinese eggplants recipe is incredibly flavorful. It soaks up all the gravy&#x27;s flavor to turn an ordinary vegetable to a delightful treat. This article also shows you how to preserve its vibrant purplish color, preventing it from being too oily, and avoiding it from turning soggy.

Chinese eggplant recipe

Chinese eggplants

salt

tsp white vinegar

potato starch

garlic,

scallion,

(1/2 oz) ginger, coarsely chopped

tsp Szechuan peppercorns, ground

dry chilies, cut into 1/2 inch sections, remove the seeds

water

tbsp light soy sauce

tbsp mushroom sauce (a.k.a. vegetarian oyster sauce)

tsp sugar

Cut the eggplants into 1.5 inches long pieces....

Cut the eggplants into 1.5 inches long pieces. Mix the salt and vinegar with the eggplant and let it sits for 15 minutes. Drain and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel.

Coat the eggplants with eggwhite, followed by the...

Coat the eggplants with eggwhite, followed by the potato starch.

Deep-fry the eggplants with oil in moderate heat...

Deep-fry the eggplants with oil in moderate heat until the flesh starts to turn color. Remove and drain on a kitchen towel.

Saute the ingredients in B with some oil...

Saute the ingredients in B with some oil over low to medium heat until aromatic.

Mix all the ingredients in C to constitute...

Mix all the ingredients in C to constitute the sauce. Add the sauce to the wok.

Return the fried eggplants to the wok. Flash...

Return the fried eggplants to the wok. Flash fry for 10 seconds over high heat.

Dish out and serve immediately.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/wjkjvfbexqgyk7lan5qd.mp4

Sautéed Eggplant with Tomatoes and Onions is an easy dish to prepare and my favorite way to cook eggplant.

Sautéed Eggplant with Tomatoes and Onions

eggplant,

olive oil

onion,

medium bell pepper, sliced

tomato,

Salt and pepper

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium...

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions and eggplant and sauté for a minute or two.

Add the bell pepper, garlic and tomato. Sprinkle...

Add the bell pepper, garlic and tomato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Sauté for about 7-10 minutes, stirring often, until...

Sauté for about 7-10 minutes, stirring often, until eggplant is tender.

This spicy eggplant stir fry is an easy, flavorful side dish that is great for dinner. Feel free to adjust the amount of spice specified below to suit your taste. You can usually find doubanjiang in large Asian supermarkets or Chinese grocers. For pan-frying directions, see notes.

Spicy Eggplant Stir Fry

eggplant

canola oil (or any neutral oil)

cornstarch

garlic

ginger

doubanjiang ((see note 2))

Sichuan peppercorn (ground (optional, see note 3))

red chili

sugar ((see note 4))

scallions

sesame seeds

Slice the eggplant into 2.5 to 3-inch sections. Then, slice each section into batons (or strips) that are about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. You don’t need to salt the eggplant for this recipe (see note 5 for more info). Set the eggplant aside.

Add 3/4 cup of oil to a wok and heat it over medium-high heat. (See note 5) Once the temperature reaches about 375ºF, it is ready for frying. You can test the temperature with a thermometer or by taking a small piece of eggplant and adding it to the wok. If the oil around the eggplant bubbles rapidly, the oil is ready for frying. 

Working in batches, add a large handful of eggplant batons to the wok. Flash fry for about 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, flipping the batons halfway. Using tongs, transfer the eggplants into a spider spatula. Give the spider spatula a gentle shake to shake off any excess oil from the eggplant. Then, transfer the flash-fried eggplant to a plate and flash fry another batch of eggplant batons. 

Eggplant absorbs oil like a sponge. After about 2 or 3 batches of frying, you’ll notice that there’s less oil in the wok. As a result, you’ll want to fry in smaller batches for the remaining eggplant. You can also add more oil to the wok. 

Once all the eggplant has been flash fried, turn off the heat. Pour some of the excess oil into a heat-safe bowl, leaving about 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok. (See note 7)

In a small bowl, make the cornstarch slurry by whisking 1/2 cup water with 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch. This slurry will thicken the sauce later. 

Heat the wok over medium-high heat again. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Next, add the doubanjiang and swirl the paste into the hot oil. Cook for another 30 seconds. Then, add the ground Sichuan peppercorn (if using), red chili flakes, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine.

Whisk the cornstarch slurry again before pouring it into the wok. Bring the liquid to a rapid boil and let the sauce simmer for 30 seconds to a minute to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. 

Add all the flash-fried eggplant back into the wok and stir to combine with the sauce. Turn off the heat and transfer the eggplant to a serving plate. Garnish the spicy eggplant with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve the spicy eggplant stir fry with jasmine rice.

Thai Eggplant Stir Fry w/ your choice of protein, fresh veggies in a flavorful Thai stir-fry sauce with fragrant Thai basil. Vegan Adaptable.

Thai Eggplant Stir-Fry

coconut oil

garlic, roughly chopped

1-6 fresh Thai chilis, finely diced (optional,

onion, sliced

bell peppers, bite-sized pieces

pea pods, chopped into 2-3 inch pieces (or sub more bell pepper)

Thai Basil (or sub regular basil)

soybean paste (or sub miso paste)

oyster sauce or vegan oyster sauce

soy sauce

coconut sugar

teaspoons rice wine vinegar

Water

Prep Eggplant

Cut the eggplants into long, 1/2-inch thick pieces about 1-2 inches long. Place in a medium bowl, cover with water and 1 teaspoon salt (stir) for 15-20 minutes to keep the eggplants from browning and tasting bitter. Set aside.

Make the stir-fry sauce

 Mix soybean paste, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine vinegar. Set aside for later.

Cook the protein

Add a little oil to a large skillet or wok on medium heat. Add a 5-finger pinch of salt. to the oil. Once hot, add chicken or shrimp (see notes for tofu)  and cook until lightly browned, and cooked through. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water if necessary to loosen up the pieces in the pan. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside on a plate. Wipe the skillet lightly with a paper towel.

Cook the eggplant

Drain the eggplant, and pat dry with a paper towel. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the pan, then add the eggplant (or spray with spray oil). Cook until the eggplants are caramelized and translucent and tender. Anywhere from  4-7  minutes, depending on the pan you&#8217;re using. Remove from the pan and set aside with the cooked chicken.

Stir fry

Swipe the pan again with a paper towel, then add one tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Add garlic, chilis, and onion, and constantly stir for 2 minutes or until the onion is lightly caramelized. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water if necessary to loosen up the pieces in the pan. You might start to cough from the chilis being fried. It&#8217;s normal! (A badge of honor when making stir-fries in a Thai kitchen!) (: Turn the vent on or open windows for some air circulation.

Add the vegetables

(except the basil), stir, and cook for 3-4 more minutes until the vegetables are tender. If using a cast iron pan, they tend to cook everything more quickly because it conducts more heat, so lower heat if necessary. If using a non-stick pan, you may not need to add water at all.

Add the cooked chicken and eggplant

back into the pan with the vegetables. Stir well and heat through about 2 minutes.

Add the stir-fry sauce

, and stir for 1-2 more minutes. Taste and adjust the flavors with more soy sauce and a dash of sugar and add more chilis for extra heat.

Stir in the fresh basil,  saute for 30 seconds, and turn the heat off. The residual heat will continue to cook the basil while not overcooking it. Let it cool for a few minutes. Serve over a plate with rice or carbs of your choice.

This was a delicious recipe and one of the better stir frys I have ever cooked. I was able to use up some of my late summer eggplant abundance which was gratifying. I didn't have oyster sauce and subbed fish sauce, and used tofu as my protein. I am often reluctant to cook items separately a in a stir fry, I tend to throw it all in there in stages and not cook separately, but I followed Sylvia's directions and I think it made it way better. Another favorite!

So good! I love the quick way to make the eggplant, and how it soaks up the sauce. I used red serranos and Basil (reg) from the garden :) I am loving these Thai dishes, thank you!!

Whole Family loved this dish. Give yourself plenty of time to chop, but it came together easily. 
Thank you!

This was excellent as are so many other of your recipes. I am such a fan! I skipped the protein because I was also making a Thai chicken entree. A perfect recipe to feature our Japanese eggplant from our garden. I might try skipping the salting of the eggplant next time or use less salt. I find it too salty sometimes for my taste.

Whee-Oo! This was so good - way better than takeout. I used 5 chilis, which was plenty of heat. Fantastic recipe and relatively easy and fast to prepare. I used tofu and subbed broccolini for the snow peas since I didn’t have those.

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Chinese eggplant recipe

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Top 4 eggplant stir fry recipes from across the web

The most viewed eggplant stir fry recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Chinese eggplant recipe

Sautéed Eggplant with Tomatoes and ...

Spicy Eggplant Stir Fry

Thai Eggplant Stir-Fry

The most viewed eggplant stir fry recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine