Cardamom & Coconut

Exploring the world one dish at a time

  • Instant Pot
    • All Instant Pot
    • Appetizers & Side Dishes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Dinner
    • Desserts
    • Rice, Pasta, Grains
    • Soups
    • Vegetarian
  • Dinner
    • All Dinners
    • Seafood
    • Vegetarian
    • International
  • Desserts
    • All Desserts
    • Cakes
    • Cookies & Bars
  • Vegetarian & Vegan
    • Vegetarian Dinners
    • Vegetarian Sides & Appetizers
    • All Vegan Recipes
  • Other Recipes
    • Appetizers & Side Dishes
    • Breakfasts
    • Dog Treats
  • About
    • About Me
    • Stay in Touch
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
July 1, 2018

Sichuan Eggplant

  • Share148
⇩ Jump to Recipe

A simple recipe for Sichuan eggplant: Creamy cubes of eggplant with a sweet, spicy and savory sauce.

One of my favorite dishes from my years in China is Sichuan eggplant. When I was living in Nanjing, there was a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant in an alley on my way home from work that I would stop by frequently for takeout. The restaurant was smaller than my bedroom with the “kitchen” area the size of my kitchen table, yet they still managed to churn out wonderful meals quickly.

Sichuan Eggplant

I learned some Chinese in college and continued to take lessons in Nanjing, but I was always shy about speaking to strangers in Chinese so it took me months to work up the courage to go into little restaurants like this on my own with staff who only spoke Chinese and no written menus to fall back on.  I was always better at reading Chinese than speaking, maybe because reading gave me time to process my thoughts without letting on what I didn’t fully understand.  Once I finally worked up the courage to order from this restaurant, I would get Sichuan Eggplant (鱼香茄子 yúxiāng qiézì) and Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁 gōngbăo jīdīng) at least once a week for me and my now husband, Alex.

Yúxiāng qiézì literally translates as ‘fish fragrant eggplant’, a name that I’ve never quite understood since the dish contains no fish, no fish sauce, and doesn’t smell like fish either.  I’m referring to it in English as Sichuan eggplant.  It’s made of sautéed or wok-fried eggplant with a sauce that’s sweet, spicy and savory.  It would typically be served as one of many dishes at a restaurant or banquet, but I like it so much that I can just eat the eggplant with rice as my entire meal.

Sichuan EggplantThe recipe is simple.  Saute some eggplant tossed in cornstarch until cooked through.  Mix up the sauce, cook for a few minutes until thickened, and then combine the sauce with the eggplant.  Leave a comment and review below if you try this Sichuan Eggplant to let me know what you think!

Sichuan Eggplant
Print Recipe
5 from 10 votes

Sichuan Eggplant

Creamy cubes of eggplant with a sweet, spicy, and savory sauce.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Danielle

Ingredients

Eggplant

  • 1-2 medium to large eggplant
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon sherry
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 tsp chili garlic paste or chili paste or sambal oelek
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
  • 2 tsp ginger grated
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • scallions
  • rice for serving

Instructions

  • Cut the eggplant into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes.
  • In a large bowl combine 1/2 cup corn starch with the eggplant and toss to coat.
  • Mix the sherry, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, corn starch, water, and chili paste together in a small bowl. Set aside
  • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil, then add the eggplant and stir occasionally until the eggplant is cooked through, about 7 minutes.
  • Move the eggplant to a bowl and place the skillet back on the heat. Add another tablespoon of vegetable or peanut oil, then add the grated ginger and minced garlic. Saute for about a minute, then remix the sherry mixture and add to the pan. Saute, stirring frequently, until thickened, another minute. Then add the eggplant and mix until the eggplant is coated by the sauce. Serve with scallions and rice.

Sichuan Eggplant

Post navigation

Homemade Mushroom Empanadas
Mexican Street Corn

21 comments

  • Mary
    December 30, 2018

    This looks amazing! My only question – do you peel the eggplant prior to coating in cornstarch? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Cardamom & Coconut
      January 2, 2019

      Mary – I personally don’t peel the eggplant, but some people prefer eggplant without the peels, so feel free to peel it if you like it better that way!

  • Emily
    August 6, 2018

    I love recipes that spotlight eggplant. This looks so delicious and perfect for a weeknight meal.

    Reply
  • Pam Greer
    August 6, 2018

    I’ve never had this, but it sounds delicious! That was so interesting reading about learning and speaking Chinese. I’m afraid I’d just have to point at something and hope for the best!

    Reply
  • Sonal
    August 6, 2018

    My mouth is literally watering at the sight of it. I love eggplants and more so the Asian flavors… this is a keeper recipe for sure!

    Reply
  • Lisa Bryan
    August 6, 2018

    Sounds really flavorful! Will have to give it a try!

    Reply
  • Caroline
    August 6, 2018

    I’m a big eggplant fan and am pretty sure I’ve had this in a restaurant and loved it, so can’t wait to give it a try.

    Reply
  • zelda
    July 30, 2018

    Looking forward to trying this recipe. All my gorgeous aubergines in the garden are almost recipe to harvest !
    Zelda

    Reply
    • cardamomandcoconut
      July 31, 2018

      There’s nothing better than fresh aubergines from your own garden!
      Danielle

  • Melody
    July 27, 2018

    This looks so yummy. 2 questions. Is there a substitute for the sherry as making for kids. And could this be served cold with the rice as a ‘salad’. Thanks

    Reply
    • cardamomandcoconut
      July 27, 2018

      Melody – I would substitute an additional tablespoon soy sauce and another tablespoon of rice wine vinegar in place of two tablespoons sherry in this recipe. While I prefer the eggplant hot, I’ve eaten leftovers of this Sichuan Eggplant recipe cold and it was still pretty tasty. Let me know how it works out for you!

  • Cassie
    July 4, 2018

    I love this Asian dish! Most recipes I’ve found for Chinese dishes that I have are in Chinese, so thanks for figuring out a pretty authentic recipe! Thanks!

    Reply
  • Kristi
    July 3, 2018

    Looks so good! Just a question- is this 2tsp chili garlic paste and 2 tsp sambal oelek? Or is chili garlic paste the same thing as sambal oelek? Thanks!

    Reply
    • cardamomandcoconut
      July 4, 2018

      It’s 2 tsp chili garlic paste OR sambal oelek (depends on what you have in your pantry or at your grocery store). At my local store sambal oelek is easier to find, so I use that for the spice, but chili paste or chili garlic paste would work equally well. Let me know how it works out for you!

    • Kristi
      July 4, 2018

      Ok, thanks! Will do!

  • Brian Jones
    July 2, 2018

    That looks and sounds lovely, you can’t beat a quick stir-fry for a quick dinner!

    Reply
  • Tracy Koslicki
    July 1, 2018

    I love meatless dishes like this! And I’m always looking for new ways to use eggplants – thank you!

    Reply
  • Emily
    July 1, 2018

    When I grow eggplant in my garden I’m always looking for unique ways to cook it and this looks fabulous!

    Reply
  • Amy Nash
    July 1, 2018

    This is the recipe I have been looking for! My husband’s aunt always gives up eggplant from her garden but I don’t really know a lot of good ways to use it and my husband isn’t a big fan in the first place. But he loves Chinese cuisine and I’ll bet he would think this is fantastic! Thanks!

    Reply
  • Tilly
    July 1, 2018

    Love this sauce, going to use it on everything!

    Reply
  • Alex
    July 1, 2018

    This is one of my favorite Chinese dishes!

    Reply

Share your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

I’m Danielle and I’m obsessed with food, from trying new foods in my travels to recreating memories from the past in my own kitchen.  Cooking, eating, and traveling with the people I love is what I live for.  I’m excited to share a bit of my world with you.  Read more about my life here.

Subscribe to Emails

Cardamom & Coconut is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  See the Privacy Policy.

  • Elara by LyraThemes
  • Copyright © 2018-2021