Szechuan Style Eggplant (Aubergine)

"Spicy and good. Eggplant absorbs the flavors of the sauce and gets nice and tender. Great with a little jasmine rice."
 
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photo by Hadice photo by Hadice
photo by Hadice
photo by Cluich photo by Cluich
photo by Sharon123 photo by Sharon123
photo by RonaNZ photo by RonaNZ
photo by PalatablePastime photo by PalatablePastime
Ready In:
29mins
Ingredients:
13
Serves:
4
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ingredients

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directions

  • Cook eggplant in 2-3 tbsp oil in a large deep skillet until tender (add a little more oil or water if necessary- it will cook down with the amount of oil stated but with a nicely hot wok, there may be a little smoke involved, but don't worry, turn on the hood exhaust because it just adds to the flavor).
  • While eggplant is cooking, mix soy sauce, sugar, and broth together in a small bowl till sugar dissolves.
  • Remove eggplant from skillet when cooked and keep warm.
  • Heat garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger in 1 tbsp oil until aromatic.
  • Stir in the water chestnuts and half of the scallions along with the eggplant and the soy sauce mixture.
  • Stir and cook until the soy sauce is absorbed into the eggplant (this may take several minutes).
  • Add the vinegar, sesame oil, and remaining scallions, stirring to mix.
  • Serve hot, garnished with sesame seeds.

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Reviews

  1. This was EXCELLENT!! I love the flavors. I made this as written, except I only had 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger. The ginger flavor was pretty strong, so next time I make this I will cut it back to 1/2 tablespoon ginger again. I plan to replace the eggplant with scallops the next time I make this. I would recommend this for anyone that likes a sweet/spicy flavor. This tastes like it was made in a Chinese restaurant. Thank you for posting, Sue!
     
  2. This is a winner!! Simply fabulous. Be warned, you'd better wear clean socks when you serve, because your guests will be kissing your feet. But in addition to all the well-deserved raves here, I have a revolutionary tip: Instead of serving this hot, refrigerate it and serve next day, or even better, a few days later, upon which it acquires a sinfully, 'cannot stop eating this' flavor. Trust me. Served cold and after at least two days (three is better), this is an astonishing dish. Also, at the very least double the sauce amount. I will make this over and over. It is already legend in my family....
     
  3. Made this tonight, I did not use brown sugar, we do not like it sweet. Definitely will make again.
     
  4. The first time I made this I didn't have the right oils or fresh ginger but it was GOOD! I made it again last night with peanut oil and it was SOOO GOOD! I still didn't have sesame oil and I had to use a regular eggplant. For me, the key is really hot oil to initially cook the eggplant. Getting a nice browning on the softening eggplant helps it to not get too soggy later. It was heavenly!!
     
  5. This is awesome!!! I doubled the sauce and used chili garlic sauce, its this Chinese sauce sambal Olek. It came out delicious.
     
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Tweaks

  1. I love this recipe. I have made it so many times now, and it is wonderful every time. Today I did not have water chestnuts so I used sliced bamboo shoots. I also wanted to reduce calories so used less oil and used water instead of chicken stock. It was still amazing. I do tend to put a bit more of both ginger and garlic, and I am always generous with soya sauce. I also love that you can vary ingredients - some people suggested pork and bell peppers, this definitely works too. A dish to remember and delight in.
     
  2. I loved this!! I used a regular big purple eggplant, subbed red bell pepper for the water chestnuts, and left out the brown sugar. I'm pretty sure I overcooked the eggplant a little, but it was still SO good (just a little mushy). My husband wasn't quite as excited about it as I was, but he liked it. I also liked the leftovers cold the next day. Yum!
     
  3. This was EXCELLENT!! I love the flavors. I made this as written, except I only had 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger. The ginger flavor was pretty strong, so next time I make this I will cut it back to 1/2 tablespoon ginger again. I plan to replace the eggplant with scallops the next time I make this. I would recommend this for anyone that likes a sweet/spicy flavor. This tastes like it was made in a Chinese restaurant. Thank you for posting, Sue!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I am a longtime member since 2002. While I have many recipes here, most of my current recipes are on my food blog at palatablepastime.com I may occasionally post something extra I have here. If you have questions, you can always contact me at contact@palatablepastime.com
 
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