Easy Spicy Chinese Eggplant Recipe (Vegan) - Greedy Girl Gourmet (2024)

This Vegan Easy Spicy Chinese Eggplant Recipe is a delicious and easy way to use up your eggplant crop! A healthier version that the one you get Chinese restaurants, the sweet-and-salty savory sauce is full of umami and ever so good with just a bowl of white rice! (I use Doubanjiang as a base, but also show you what to do if you don't have it.)

⭐ Why This Recipe is a Star

1. Delicious: I'll be honest. I love this Easy, Spicy Chinese Eggplant Recipe BUT eggplant is not the easiest dish to cook well. Cook it wrongly and it can taste quite icky! Luckily, it's been part of Chinese food for centuries and we've figured out the right cooking process. It is scrumptious when sauteed then quickly braised in this savory, salty, sweet and a little spicy Sichuan sauce!
2. Nutritious: it's good to get some eggplant in your diet, as it containes a lot of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium, fibre and antioxidants! I love Yu Xiang Qie Zi, but Chinese restaurants usually deep fry. I replace the deep frying with sautéing, steaming or air frying, so this recipe is much healthier for you! Less calories too, as eggplants SOAK up oil!

🥘 Ingredients

You will only need a few simple ingredients for this recipe:

• egpplants: I use Chinese eggplants or Japanese eggplants (also called aubergines or brinjal.) They are light- bright purple and skinnier and longer than the typical eggplant. The type of eggplant is important as these become creamier after cooking and have fewer seeds (I.e. less bitter so no need to salt brine.) They also have thinner skin, so need to remove the skins too! If you can only get globe eggplants, soak those in salt water for 10-15 minutes to reduce the bitterness after cutting and before cooking. (Use 1 Tablespoon per litre of water, and don't forget to rinse the eggplants well after they come out of their salt bath! Dry off any excess moisture.) You may also have to increase the cooking time slightly for regular eggplant.
• doubanjiang: Also known as Chili Bean Paste. I use the Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Paste sauce, which is indicated to be suitable for vegetarians and vegans on their website. However, do check the brand you get to make sure it's plant-based. You can get this Sichuan sauce from the Asian market. If you can't get it, you can still make Chinese sauteed eggplants with garlic sauce (See "Variations" below for instructions), Sriracha, or this homemade Doubanjiang Paste.
• dried shiitake mushrooms, optional: this recipe is traditionally made with ground pork, and we're using dried shiitake mushrooms as a substitute in this vegetarian sauteed egpplant recipe. The flavor is strong and you need to go down to the Asian grocer for them so feel free to skip them. (If you do use them, keep the mushroom soaking water for cooking soup.)
• fresh mushrooms: Don't use too many dried shiitake or the mushroom flavor will overwhelm the eggplants. Instead, bulk it up with fresh mushrooms. I recommend king oyster mushrooms as they have a more meaty flavor.
• vegetable oil: use peanut oil or a neutral vegetable oil for authentic Chinese flavor. No olive oil please!
• vegetable stock: added when braising the eggplants. If you don't have any on hand, substitute with water and add a pinch more seasoning.
• ginger, garlic and spring onions: this is the Holy Trinity of Chinese recipes, especially stir-fries!
• light and dark soy sauce: light soy sauce for flavor and dark soy sauce for color. If you omit the dark soy sauce, substitute with a bit of salt and sugar. However, the dish won't get that lovely dark brown glossy look that you see in restaurants! Make sure you use a vegan brand as, though soy sauce is theoretically vegan, some manufacturers add other ingredients.
• corn starch: just the tiniest bit, to give the eggplant texture, thicken the sauce and get it silky enough to coat the eggplants beautifully
• white sugar: make sure it's bone-char free to be vegan!
• fresh red chilies: it gives a bit of color to the dish, making it look more attractive. Use large red chilies and remove the seeds so they won't be too spicy. If you can't take heat, however, omit the chilies as the Doubanjiang has a little kick already.

To Use Dark Soy Sauce Or Not

This is what the sauteed eggplants look like WITHOUT dark soy sauce. All other ingredients are kept the same.

This photo was taken after adding ½ tablespoon of dark soy sauce to the eggplants on the left. Personally I think they look SO much better!

📖 Variations & Substitutes

• Traditional Chinese Sauteed Eggplant: replace the fresh mushrooms with ground pork and keep the dried shiitake mushrooms. Use pork lard instead of oil and chicken broth instead of vegetable stock. If you can get it, the secret ingredients are some salted fish and Sichuan peppercorns. (Your best bet for the salted fish is the Chinese market.)
• With homemade spicy garlic sauce: Substitute the Doubanjiang with 1 Tablespoon Chinkiang Chinese black rice vinegar, 1 extra Tablespoon of light soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil. Add some oyster sauce, chili oil or Sriracha chili garlic sauce if you have it on hand!
• With Sichuan peppercorns: this will give the sauce some zing. You can get it online or at the Asian grocer. I don't add it as a main ingredient, as it's too spicy for most people. If you do use them, over low heat, dry toast 1 teaspoon in a pan til fragrant, then add these to the eggplants along with the sauce. Do not substitute with white or black pepper- Sichuan pepper isn't really a pepper! The flavor is totally different, with a mouth-numbing sensation.

🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions

1a. If using, soak the shiitake mushroom caps in hot water.

1b. Whilst the mushrooms are soaking, mix the sauces in a small bowl and leave it by the stove.

1c. Cut the washed eggplant into batons, about 1.5-2 inches in length. Dry with a paper towel.

Note: See photos below on how to cut eggplants.

2. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch over the eggplants, making sure they're thinly coated- this helps it develop a nice texture when stir-frying.

Note: Use your hands to make sure they're evenly coated. Place the coated aubergines in a large bowl or sieve and shake off any excess starch.

Do not coat if planning to steam the eggplants!

3a. Over medium heat, heat 1-2 teaspoons of oil till it is shimmering but not smoking in a large skillet of wok. (The larger the skillet, the more quickly you can brown the eggplants.) Swirl the oil around.

Note: You want just enough oil to coat the surface of the pan. Don't use too much or the eggplants will just absorb it oil. You will need to add more oil each time you brown a new batch of eggplants.

High heat is crucial for Chinese stir-fries but if the oil ever smokes, reduce the heat.

4a. Add the eggplant pieces in a single layer, and leave to brown.

4b. Once the eggplants shrink a bit, push them to the side and add more eggplant sticks to the pan. The eggplants will darken, soften, and wrinkle a bit.

Note: In an ideal world, we would brown every side, but this would take too long so just brown 1-2 sides per baton. (See Tips for how to steam instead of brown the eggplants.)

4c. Once browned, remove from the pan. Repeat till all the eggplants are charred, adding oil each time you add new eggplants to the pan. (See below for how the eggplants look when cooked in oil vs in a too-dry pan.)

5a. Add more oil to the pan over medium high heat or high heat.

5b. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, quickly stir-fry the ginger and garlic till fragrant, 30-45 seconds.

See Also

Recreate Your Favorite Chinese Takeout Classics With These 29 RecipesYu Xiang Qie Zi (Sichuan-Style Braised Eggplant With Pickled Chilies and Garlic) RecipeYu Xiang Qie Zi (Sichuan-Style Braised Eggplant With Pickled Chilies and Garlic) RecipeChinese Yu Xiang Eggplant Recipe

5c. Add the dried and fresh mushrooms to the pan, along with sliced spring onions and chilies, if using. Keep stirring for 1-2 minutes.

Note: It may feel a bit hard to stir initially but the mushrooms will release water, so it'll get easier. If the pan really feels too dry add some water or stock.

6a. Return the eggplants to the pan.

6b. Add the sauce mixture to the pan and stir a few times till everything is well-coated.

7. Pour in the vegetable stock or water, bring to the boil and cook down, till you get a rich, thick and glossy sauce. This will just take a few minutes.

Note: If you added too much cornstarch or heated it for too long and the sauce is too thick, just add more water or broth.

8a. Stir till the eggplants are all well-coated in the sauce.

Note: The eggplants should be quite soft, as shown above.

8b. Garnish with sliced red chilies and sliced green onions. Serve with white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice!

How to Cut Eggplants

Top: Wash the eggplants, and wipe off any excess moisture.

Middle: Hold firmly and carefully cut into half.

Bottom: Cut each half again, into 2 pieces. You will end up with 4 pieces.

Top: We start with the eggplant quarters from the previous step.

Middle: Cut each quarter into 2 again.

Bottom: You now have 8 pieces of eggplants. Slice each along the long side into batons.

🥡 How to Store

Keep it for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

Unfortunately, it does not freeze well.

Reheating

As the sauce has some cornstarch in it, it will thicken up when reheating so I suggest adding a tablespoon or 2 of water or vegetable broth to loosen the sauce.

Gently aute in a large skillet or wok till the entire dish has thoroughly warmed up.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

Tip #1: If you don't want to coat your eggplants in cornstarch and fry, you can also air-fry them or steam them. (Don't coat in cornstarch if steaming.) Basically, we want to soften the eggplants before we stirfry, as eggplants can absorb a LOT of oil and don't taste very good when not cooked till soft!

Tip #2: If you have a large steamer, a quicker way is to steam all the eggplants (instead of browing.) If so, do not add cornflour to the eggplants before steaming. Instead, mix 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon of cold broth or cold water to make a cornstarch slurry. Slowly add the cornstarch into the pan (after adding the sauce), stirring simultaneously. Stop when it's at your desired consistency.

Tip #3: Alternatively, cook the cornstarch-coated eggplants in an airfryer instead of browning them in a skillet!

🥗 Suggested Accompanying Recipes

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