Easy 30-Minute Chinese Spicy Garlic Eggplant
Tender eggplant is coated in a spicy, savory garlic sauce with a rich, glossy finish. This easy Chinese spicy garlic eggplant recipe is ready in just 30 minutes, with a light cornstarch coating that helps the eggplant hold its shape without soaking up too much oil.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chinese eggplant or Japanese eggplant
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 5 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 10 whole dried red chilies
- ½ inch ginger peeled, thinly sliced
- 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
- 1 tablespoon water cold
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
Instructions
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set aside.
- Slice the unpeeled eggplant lengthwise into quarters, then cut into 2-inch long pieces. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with cornstarch until evenly coated.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until shimmery. Fry the eggplant until golden brown and completely tender, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining vegetable oil, ginger, dried red chilies, and green onions. Stir-fry for 10 seconds until fragrant.
- Whisk the sauce again to redistribute the cornstarch. Return the eggplant to the pan and pour in the sauce. Gently toss until the sauce thickens into a glossy glaze that evenly coats the eggplant. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
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Nutrition
Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1280mg | Potassium: 1343mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 2254IU | Vitamin C: 331mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 4mg