Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (Yu Xiang Qiezi, 鱼香茄子)

What ingredients do you need

First, let’s talk about what you need to have at hand to cook eggplant with garlic sauce. Like my usual approach, I’m listing the ingredients required to make it as authentic as possible. In a later part of this post, substitution ideas are provided to make it more accessible or suitable for your diet.

• Eggplant
• Minced meat (see substitutes below)
• Chinese pickled chilli (see substitutes below)
• Black rice vinegar
• Shaoxing rice wine
• Sugar
• Dark soy sauce
• Cornstarch
• Sesame oil
• Garlic, ginger & scallions

How to choose eggplant

For the best taste & texture, I suggest you use Chinese/Japanese eggplant which is narrow and long in shape. Compare to the globe eggplant commonly found in US/European supermarkets, they have a brighter purple colour, thinner skin, fewer seeds and a sweeter taste.  If you wish to use globe eggplant, you may wish to peel it as the skin can be tough to chew.

If possible, look for eggplant that is young and fresh, meaning recently harvested instead of being on the shelf for days. They have a creamier texture and a sweeter taste once cooked. Aged eggplant tends to have chewy flesh, more seeds and a bitter flavour.

Minced meat & vegetarian/vegan options

Traditional recipes for eggplant with garlic sauce call for minced pork which adds a rich taste to the dish. You can find many examples of this kind of combination in Sichuan cuisine, such as Mapo Tofu, Dry-fried Green Beans, etc. Minced beef, chicken or turkey work well too. So please feel free to substitute.

Wish to make it vegetarian/vegan friendly? Here are a few options:

• Use tofu to replace minced meat. In this case, choose the one with firm texture which can be broken into crumb-like pieces with your fingers. Fry the usual way.
• Fry shiitake mushrooms instead of minced meat. Both fresh and dried ones work (although I prefer the latter for its richer umami taste). Chop them into small pieces.
• Or, skip the minced meat altogether. It will still taste very nice.

How to make a tasty garlic sauce

Sour, sweet, spicy, umami & aromatic, classic Sichuan garlic sauce offers a complex taste. Once you understand its formula, you can improvise and create many delicious dishes using garlic sauce. Here is the explanation of how each ingredient contributes.

Garlic, Ginger & Scallions

I call them “three treasures” of the Chinese kitchen. They all taste pungent and aromatic in their own ways. Be generous in quantity. I like separating scallions into two parts: the white stem part goes into the wok with garlic and ginger. The green part is then added at the very end of the cooking process. This way, it retains a bright colour and fresh taste.

Black rice vinegar, Shaoxing rice wine & Sugar

Black rice vinegar, Shaoxing rice wine & Sugar are the key condiments in making garlic sauce. To achieve a balanced taste, I suggest the following ratio:

• 3 parts black rice vinegar (The best variety is Zhenjiang/Chinkiang vinegar, 镇江香醋)
• 3 parts Shaoxing rice wine (For this dish, you may replace it with regular white wine or Chinese Bai Jiu/白酒)
• 2 parts sugar

Pickled chilli and its substitutes

Although translated as “garlic” sauce, the soul of this sauce, in my opinion, is Sichuan pickled chili. Pungent and aromatic, it usually comes in jars with whole chili pepper in brine. You would need to finely chop it prior to cooking. If you have trouble sourcing it, here are my two solutions:

• Try my recipe for Homemade Pickled Chilli Garlic Sauce /剁椒 (see image above) which is a chopped version commonly used in Hunan cuisine. It’s very simple to make and works really well for garlic sauce seasoned stir-fries. Also, you can use it to create many other dishes, so I highly recommend you add it to your homemade condiment collection.
• Alternatively, use Sichuan chilli bean paste. Also known as spicy Doubanjiang/辣豆瓣酱), it’s a fermented paste made of chili and broad beans. You can find it in many Sichuan delicacies, for example, Mapo Tofu, Sichuan Boiled Fish, etc. It tastes quite different from pickle chili but works well with eggplant.

A note on quantity: please use my recipe as a reference and feel free to adjust the quantity based on the spiciness of the particular pickled chilli that you have. If you use Sichuan chilli bean paste as a substitute, reduce the volume by half as it tastes saltier.

The Perfect Stir-fry Workflow

Now you’ve got all the ingredients at hand to make stir-fried eggplant with garlic sauce, let me guide you through each cooking step with extra tips to make it an enjoyable experience.

Step 1: Prepare the eggplant

Eggplant is a tricky vegetable to cook. To achieve the desired tender texture, you’ll need to cook it on its own before stir-frying with other ingredients. The most common way is deep-frying which isn’t my preferred method (It’s such a hassle and I don’t like my dish overly greasy). There are two simple alternative ways which don’t involve any oil.

• Boiling. Add chopped eggplant pieces into a pot of boiling water with a little salt. Cover and cook for about 3 mins until it becomes soft(but not mushy). Drain in a colander and press gently to remove any excess water.

• Steaming. Put eggplant pieces in a plate. Steam over medium heat for about 10 mins.

You might think the cooked eggplant looks too wet. Don’t worry. The moisture will evaporate easily during stir-frying. Its spongy pulp becomes soft thus will pick up the flavour from the seasoning efficiently.

Step 2: Mix the sauce

When it comes to quick stir-frying, it’s very important to have everything within reach before you start cooking. If there is a sauce involved, you must mix it beforehand.

Step 3: Fry the meat & pickled chili

Pour oil into a hot wok over high heat. Stir in the minced meat. Fry until pale. Then add pickled chilli, garlic, ginger and white part of the scallions. Sizzle until fragrant. If you are using a traditional carbon steel wok, follow the “hot wok cold oil/热锅凉油” method: heat the empty wok until smoking, then pour in the oil and add the meat. This way, the meat won’t stick to the wok.

Step 4: Stir in the eggplant

Add the pre-cooked eggplant. Fry until it’s piping hot. Then pour in the sauce. Don’t forget to stir the sauce beforehand as the cornstarch tends to sink to the bottom.

Step 5: Garnish & serve

Give everything a quick stir. Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat immediately. Sprinkle the green part of the scallions. Dish out and serve. It’s usually served with steamed rice, along with other savoury dishes. Alternatively, it makes a wonderful topping for noodle dishes.

Other dishes using garlic sauce

Check out the following recipes to learn how to use garlic sauce to cook other ingredients:

• Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce
• Pan-Fried Tofu with Garlic Sauce (vegan)
• King Oyster Mushroom with Garlic Sauce(vegan)