Tender eggplant cooked in a spicy, savory garlic sauce with aromatic red chilies, scallions, and ginger. This quick and easy Chinese spicy garlic eggplant recipe is ready in 30 minutes with simple ingredients. A great side that is family-friendly and restaurant-quality!
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Spicy garlic eggplant features Chinese eggplant coated in starch and fried in oil, then tossed in a spicy savory sauce with aromatics!
This popular Asian eggplant dish is served at Chinese restaurants, but you can easily make this at home, and it tastes better-than-takeout!
It's packed with delicious and complex flavors, thanks to the aromatics.
This flavorful vegetable side dish is best served with steamed rice and protein. I love enjoying this dish because it's a great source of fiber.
The best part about my eggplant recipe is it's shallow fried - not deep fried in a lot of oil, like other recipes.
Also, if you're not a fan of spice, try my Chinese Hoisin Eggplant Stir-Fry!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Chinese Eggplant: Or substitute with Japanese eggplant available at the Asian market or regular seedless eggplant, as a last resort. Asian-style egg plants are longer and slender than regular ones.
- Cornstarch: Or substitute with potato starch or arrowroot starch. Avoid using tapioca starch as it causes the eggplant to stick together in the pan.
- Neutral Oil: Use a neutral oil like avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.
- Ginger
- Green Onion: Or substitute with 1 small shallot or 2 tablespoon onion finely chopped.
- Whole Dried Red Chili Peppers: or substitute with fresh red chilies or bell peppers for a mild version. For extra spicy, substitute with bird's eye chilies.
Sauce
- Garlic
- Regular Soy Sauce: Or substitute with low-sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Dark Soy Sauce: Or substitute with dark mushroom soy sauce or season with more regular soy sauce to taste at the end of cooking.
- Oyster Sauce: Or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
- Water
- Shaoxing Wine: Or substitute with dry sherry wine, dry white wine, or chicken broth.
- White Granulated Sugar: Or substitute with cane sugar.
- Rice Vinegar: Or substitute with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Cornstarch: Or substitute with potato starch or arrowroot starch.
- Crushed Red Chili Flakes: or substitute with gochugaru, red pepper flakes, or chili oil.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online.
Variation
- Gluten-free version: Replace the soy sauces with tamari sauce, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce. Use gluten-free oyster sauce. Substitute the Shaoxing wine with dry sherry, dry white wine, or chicken broth.
Expert Tips
- Choose fresh eggplant with a vibrant and firm skin; avoid using wrinkled or discolored eggplant.
- Chop the eggplant into even pieces, so they cook consistently.
- Prepare the ingredients in advance as the cooking process is fast.
- Ensure you cook the eggplant through as you toss it in the sauce because undercooked eggplant tastes unpleasant.
- Be gentle when stir-frying the eggplant and use two spatulas to toss it or it can break apart.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Chinese spicy garlic eggplant:
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Prepare eggplant: Vertically slice the unpeeled eggplant into four quarters, so you have four long strips. Then chop the strips into 2-inch-long pieces and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add cornstarch and toss until eggplant is evenly coated.
- Fry eggplant: Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Gently fry the coated eggplant until tender and about 90% cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Fry aromatics: Reduce to low-medium heat. Add remaining vegetable oil and sauté ginger, red chilies and green onions for 10 seconds.
- Toss in eggplant and sauce: Add eggplant and the sauce, and gently toss until evenly coated. Remove from heat and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Chinese spicy garlic eggplant can last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
- I don't recommend freezing Chinese spicy garlic eggplant because the eggplant will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Chinese spicy garlic eggplant pairs well with:
- Starters: Egg rolls, Crab rangoon, Egg drop soup, or Hot and sour soup.
- Rice Dishes: White rice, Brown rice, or Fried rice.
- Noodle Dishes: Chow mein, Lo mein, Plain noodles, or Soup noodles.
- Vegetable Dishes: Chinese Garlic Gok Choy, Spicy Garlic Bok Choy, Chinese Garlic Yu Choy, Chinese Garlic Gai Lan, Garlic Green Beans or Stir-fried Snow Pea Leaves.
- Protein Dishes: General Tso Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Egg Foo Young, Soy Garlic Tofu, and more!
FAQ
Chinese spicy garlic eggplant can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
Chinese eggplant tastes sweeter and less bitter because it's completely seedless. It's also longer and more slender, whereas regular eggplant is less sweet and shorter with a thicker shape. Chinese eggplant looks like the below image.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Chinese Spicy Garlic Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chinese eggplant or Japanese eggplant
- ¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- 5 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 10 dried red chilies or 2 chopped fresh large red chilies
- 5 slices ginger peeled
- 1 green onion finely chopped
Sauce
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon water cold
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or dry sherry wine / dry white wine / chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes or gochugaru / red pepper flakes / chili oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Vertically slice the unpeeled eggplant into four quarters, so you have four long strips. Then chop the strips into 2-inch-long pieces and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add cornstarch and toss until eggplant is evenly coated.
- Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Gently fry the coated eggplant until tender and about 90% cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce to low-medium heat. Add remaining vegetable oil and sauté ginger, red chilies and green onions for 10 seconds.
- Add eggplant and the sauce, and gently toss until evenly coated. Remove from heat and enjoy!
Brad
I had Hunan style Eggplant in China and loved it but I think this is even better. Thanks for sharing.
Christie Lai
Happy to read this! Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review, Brad!!
Barbara Saito
Great recipe! I think I've tried 5 recipes for this dish, and yours is the best by far! Thank you.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe so many times! This really made my day 🙂
Janine
I really enjoyed your explanations of the ingredients and the process. I recently visited my favorite Chinese rest. in San Francisco and had my favorite Spicy Eggplant. Your recipe was even better than the rest. It was a bit more salty than I like but will adjust the sauce next time. I was able to thin it down by serving rice and I had added a small zucchini at the end of the recipe. I look forward to making this again. And, I'm checking out your other recipes. Thanks.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you found it better than the restaurant! Appreciate your sharing your experience. I hope you enjoy my other recipes!
Violetta
YES! LOVED IT! This is my mother’s favorite dish when we go to our favorite Chinese Restaurant. My mother said this was much tastier!
I didn’t have dark soy sauce so I just doubled the quantity of regular soy sauce and I didn’t have the wine so just added additional tsp water and 1/4 tsp sugar and added 1 tsp Hoisin sauce. I plan on making this often. Thank you!
Christie Lai
I am so thrilled to read this, Violetta! Thank you so much for making my recipe and sharing your positive experience here with the simple substitutes! Happy to hear your mom thinks my version is tastier. Have a lovely day!
Meir
I made an eggplant / air fried tofu dish with these sauce measurements and it was delicious!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe with the addition of tofu, Meir! Glad you enjoyed it!
Arja
Greetings from Nordic Country Finland from northern Europe. Me and my twin sister just made your Quick and Easy Chinese Spicy Garlic Eggplant. It was really lovely, Thank you!
christieathome
Greetings! Thank you so much for making my eggplant recipe and for leaving such a kind review! So glad you and your sister enjoyed it, Arja. Have a lovely day!
Lori
Love this dish! Can't wait to make it....
christieathome
Thank you so much Lori! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Kitty
Wow I just made them n they're soooooo yummmy! Thank you!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Kitty! Thrilled that you found this dish so yummy 🙂
Sonia Dudnic Sreedharan
This recipe was bang on. The best eggplant recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious. A definite keeper!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Sonia and happy it's now a keeper 🙂
Danuta Wojtalik
This is the most incredible eggplant dish I ever had. I have to qualify my statement by saying that I have tried eggplant dishes for over 50 years and came to the conclusion that I hated eggplant. I am now buying eggplant and making this dish for myself. What an incredible find. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
christieathome
Thank you so much Danuta! I am so happy to read this and glad you can now enjoy it 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Beverley
This has become a favourite in our household. Just two of us so we have it with rice as a main course. I don’t add the sugar or cornflour to the sauce. If I don’t have shoaxing wine I substitute with mirin. Recipe works all the time.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Beverely! Glad it works out every time 🙂
Shawn
This looks delicious! I can't wait to make it. What would you serve this with? Thanks!
christieathome
Thank you so much! I would suggest serving it with some steamed rice and perhaps a delicious protein of your choice like my Mongolian Chicken or for a vegetarian dish Chinese Braised Tofu . Hope this helps!
Lori
Restaurant quality… even tho I didn’t have green onion!
christieathome
Awesome, thanks so much for making my recipe Lori!
Ja
Food was amazing. I threw up dinner because of dessert (edible cookie dough but I'm lactose intolerant so whoopsie) , but dinner was wicked awesome!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Ja! So glad you enjoyed it!
Olympia
What are proportions for the sauce?
Christie Lai
All the proportions can be found by clicking here.
Anna
Saw this on Instagram; simple and quick to make and very very very tasty. I don’t normally cook Asian (or even at all..;-) and this was a home run. Husband now wants to quit our takeout when we can make this ourselves..
christieathome
Haha! Thank you for making my recipe! I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Have a lovely day, Anna 🙂
Benita
I made this for my family and my-in laws and they all loved it! So flavourful.