Eggplant with garlic sauce, or yu xiang qie zi (鱼香茄子), is a classic Sichuan dish, packed with savory, spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors. Our recipe is a healthier adaptation of the classic. The eggplants are steamed instead of deep fried, so the dish is much lighter, less greasy, and just as tasty!
When I was a kid, eggplant dishes were always on the bottom of my list of food to eat. They are just bland. But ever since I was introduced to eggplant with garlic sauce, you bet my favorite sauteed garlic bok choy had to put up a good fight as top contender!
However, as much as I love the classic Sichuan eggplant with garlic sauce, I sometimes get self-conscious about how greasy the classic version is. So, here we are sharing our healthier version that does not require deep frying the eggplant and still produce a dish that makes me gobble up more than my fair share.
If you like eggplant garlic sauce, make sure to also try our mapo tofu, another easy and tasty Sichuan classic. For days when you're not in the mood for spice, try our vegan unagi don (made with eggplants!).
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Ingredients
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
For the dish:
- Chinese eggplants - These are slender and long. We recommend picking Chinese eggplants that are smooth and as free of blemish as possible, are pale or white near the stem, and are slightly bendable (doesn't feel stiff). Eggplants like that will be the most tender and have the best texture.
- Ground pork - Some ground pork is added to give this mostly vegetable dish some richness, just like mapo tofu. You can also use ground chicken or turkey as substitute if you prefer, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- Garlic - Can't have garlic sauce without lots of fresh garlic!
- Ginger - Some fresh ginger will get rid of any unwanted pork flavor in the ground pork and it'll make the garlic sauce more fragrant.
- Spicy broad bean paste - Also known as la doubanjang. Traditionally, Chinese pickled peppers are used instead, but because the peppers can be sometimes hard to find, we opted for the bean paste. It's a substitute that adds the needed funkiness and some red color to the eggplants.
- Sesame oil - Just a little to add some toasted flavor to the dish. If you prefer, you can omit it.
- Chinese ground chili pepper - To add more spice to the eggplants.
- Green onion and whole dry pepper - Mostly as a garnish to add some color and pop to the dish. The green onion also adds more flavor.
- Cooking oil - Any neutral oil is fine. Although this is a less oily and healthier version of the classic eggplant with garlic sauce, some oil is still needed to make the eggplant tastes good.
For the sauce:
- Soy sauce - To give the sauce a darker color and the savory flavor of the sauce. We recommend light sodium soy sauce. If you are using regular soy sauce, you may need to hold back a little.
- Vinegar - White distilled vinegar is fine, however, if you want to make it taste more authentic, use Chinese black vinegar instead.
- Water - To dilute the sauce a little.
- Sugar - Regular granulated sugar is perfect for sweetening the sauce.
- Cornstarch - For thickening the sauce.
The best eggplant to use
We highly recommend using Chinese eggplants for eggplant with garlic sauce because the skin is more tender, they have less seeds and the seeds are smaller, and they taste sweeter and are milder in flavor than regular eggplants. Japanese eggplants is a great and the best substitute.
However, if you cannot find Chinese or Japanese eggplants near you, you can use regular globe eggplants, also known as American eggplants. We recommend peeling some of the eggplant skin, like alternating stripes, to make the eggplant more tender. If needed, also cut away some of the seeds.
How to make eggplant with garlic sauce
Steam the eggplants:
1. Prepare pot or wok with a steaming rack or a steamer filled with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium to keep it at a high simmer.
🌟 Pro tip: If you're steaming in a pot or wok with a steaming rack, arrange the eggplant sticks in a heatproof plate or wide, shallow bowl. If you're steaming in a steamer, you can place the eggplants directly into the steam basket.
2. Steam the eggplants for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the white part of the eggplant can be easily indented. Remove from heat and set aside.
Prepare the sauce:
While the eggplants are steaming, prepare the sauce by combining everything (soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch). Give the sauce a good mix until the cornstarch is well incorporated and set aside.
Stir fry the dish:
1. In a wok or pan over medium to medium heat, add 4 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is shimmering and hot, add the garlic, ginger, spicy broad bean paste, ground chili pepper flakes, and whole dry chilies. Stir fry until fragrant and red in color, about 15 to 30 seconds.
2. Add the ground pork and stir fry until the pork is no longer pink. Make sure to break up the ground pork well.
3. When the pork is done, give the prepared sauce a good mix and pour it into the wok. Bring the sauce to a simmer and mix frequently until the sauce is thick and glossy. Reduce the heat to medium low.
4. Drain the steamed eggplants of excess water and add them to the wok. Gently stir and toss the eggplants until well coated.
5. Add the sliced green onions and the sesame oil and give the eggplants a couple more tosses.
6. Transfer the eggplant in garlic sauce to a serving bowl and garnish with more green onion if you like. Enjoy with rice!
Meatless alternative
This eggplant with garlic sauce and ground pork can be easily adapted into a vegan/vegetarian dish! You can simply swap out the ground meat with firm tofu, shiitake mushrooms or mushroom so of your choice, or simply substitute with extra vegetables like bell pepper and onion.
Just a few notes on the substitutions:
- Firm or extra firm tofu - Make sure to drain and dry it out well with paper towels then tear them into bite size nuggets. Add the tofu when the pork would have been added and gently stir fry for a couple of minute before adding the sauce. You could also freeze then defrost the tofu to get extra moisture out.
- Mushrooms - Roughly chop the mushrooms and add it where the ground pork would have been added. Stir fry until softened, then add the sauce. If needed, add a little more oil.
- Bell pepper and onion - We recommend cutting them into large dice and stir frying them briefly, before adding the sauce. If you are adding heartier vegetables, cook them appropriately or until just tender before adding the sauce.
Recipe tips
- Pick tender, young eggplants for best texture. Because our version is steamed instead of deep fried, the eggplant skin can get a little tougher than desired if old eggplant is used.
- Adjust the amount of vinegar used depending on if you like it more or less tangy.
Storage and reheating
If you have leftover eggplant with garlic sauce, let it cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Keep it refrigerated and it will last 3 to 4 days.
To reheat the eggplants, you can microwave it until thoroughly heated or heat it on the stovetop in a pan over medium heat. If the sauce thins out, you can add some cornstarch slurry (mix cornstarch with cold water) and bring it to a simmer to thicken.
FAQ
Yes! If you can't get Chinese eggplants or Japanese eggplants, you can substitute with globe eggplants. Please read "the best eggplant to use" above for more details!
Yú xiāng (鱼香) literally translates to fish-fragrant. It refers to Sichuan dishes that's dressed with this fragrant, garlicky, spicy, sweet, and sour sauce. There's two possibilities of how this name came about. One, yu xiang sauce started as a sauce used for a fish dish, which later is applied to other dishes, like this eggplant with garlic sauce. Two, the Chinese pickled peppers that's traditionally used in the sauce was pickled with a fish, giving a funky, fishy flavor.
Potato starch is a good substitute for cornstarch. Use equal amounts of potato starch in place of cornstarch.
If you prefer, you can use ground turkey or chicken in replacement of the pork, but note that the flavor will be slightly different. Also, read our "meatless alternative" topic above for vegan/vegetarian options.
If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰
📖 Recipe
Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (鱼香茄子)
Ingredients
For the dish:
- 1 pound Chinese eggplant cut into 2 to 3 inch sticks
- 4 ounces ground pork ground chicken or turkey works too
- 3 tablespoons garlic roughly chopped (about 6 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon ginger peeled and minced (about an inch knob)
- 1 tablespoon spicy broad bean paste also known as la doubanjiang
- 1 stalk green onion thinly sliced (plus more for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Chinese ground chili pepper more or less to your preference
- 4 tablespoons oil or as needed for cooking
- Whole dry chili pepper (optional for garnish)
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce light sodium
- 1 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar regular white vinegar is okay too
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
Steam the eggplants:
- Prepare pot or wok with a steaming rack or a steamer filled with about 1 inch of water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium to keep it at a high simmer.
- If you're steaming in a pot or wok with a steaming rack, arrange the eggplant sticks in a heatproof plate or wide, shallow bowl. If you're steaming in a steamer, you can place the eggplants directly into the steam basket.
- Steam the eggplants for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the white part of the eggplant can be easily indented. Remove from heat and set aside.
Prepare the sauce:
- While the eggplants are steaming, prepare the sauce by combining everything (soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch). Give the sauce a good mix until the cornstarch is well incorporated and set aside.
Stir fry the dish:
- In a wok or pan over medium to medium heat, add 4 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is shimmering and hot, add the garlic, ginger, spicy broad bean paste, ground chili pepper flakes, and whole dry chilies. Stir fry until fragrant and red in color, about 15 to 30 seconds.
- Add the ground pork and stir fry until the pork is no longer pink. Make sure to break up the ground pork well.
- When the pork is done, give the prepared sauce a good mix and pour it into the wok. Bring the sauce to a simmer and mix frequently until the sauce is thick and glossy. Reduce the heat to medium low.
- Drain the steamed eggplants of excess water and add them to the wok. Gently stir and toss the eggplants until well coated.
- Add the sliced green onions and the sesame oil and give the eggplants a couple more tosses.
- Transfer the eggplant in garlic sauce to a serving bowl and garnish with more green onion if you like. Enjoy with rice!
Notes
- Eggplant - We highly recommend Chinese eggplants because they have much more tender skin, have less seeds, and tastes sweeter and milder. However, you can use regular American eggplant, also known as globe eggplants. Check out more information in the post above!
- Meatless option - You can adapt this recipe into a meatless, vegan dish if you prefer. You can substitute the pork for firm tofu, shiitake mushrooms of your choice, or just use more vegetables such as bell pepper and onion. Refer to the post above for more details.
- Spicy broad bean paste - You can also use Chinese pickled peppers instead. Just finely chop it up and add it when you would have added the bean paste. If you cannot find spicy broad bean paste, omit it and add about ½ teaspoon of salt to the sauce .
Tammy says
This was really delicious. My family was quite impressed!
Mei says
Thank you, Tammy! So glad everyone enjoyed it =)
Mei❤️
Sofia says
Hey! What did you use for steaming eggplants? In your TikTok video I see that it's not a regular steam rack.
Mei says
Hi Sofia!
Yes, in the video we did not use a classic steamer for the eggplants. We used the steamer than came with the Our Place pan. However, you can totally steamed the eggplants in a regular steamer, a bamboo steamer, or whatever is your favorite steaming method. If you are steaming in a bamboo steamer, we recommend putting the eggplants on a plate, then placing it into the steam basket. After steaming, just drain the excess moisture collected in the plate. Hope this helps =)
Mei ❤️