The Eggplant with Garlic Sauce My Dad's Made 100,000 Times
Why this recipe
Most eggplant with garlic sauce recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 60+ years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 2.6M views, 47.2K likes on YouTube.
Yuxiang eggplant (yùh hēung ké jí 魚香 茄子) literally translates to “Fish Fragrant Eggplant.” Yuxiang is a famous flavor profile from Sichuan, a southwestern province that’s home to one of the eight major styles of Chinese cuisine. The area is known for its famously spicy, or mala, dishes, such as mapo tofu and dan dan noodles.
Despite its name, there’s no fish in the recipe. Instead, it’s a nod to the fact that the sauce boasts a combination of sweet, savory, spicy and sour that’s delicious with seafood.
Yuxiang Eggplant (yùh hēung 魚香 ké jí 茄子) literally translates to Fish Fragrant Eggplant. Yuxiang is a famous flavor profile from Sichuan Province, home to one of the 8 major styles of Chinese cuisine.
Eggplant with garlic sauce was a favorite at my dad's old restaurant and all around the world. My dad’s version of this popular Chinese eggplant recipe not only celebrates the essence of the Yuxiang flavors, but it’s healthier and less oily than what you’d typically get at a restaurant, and the ingredients he’ll be using are generally more accessible to families like ours that aren’t surrounded by Chinese markets.
Ingredients
On Eggplants
Cultivated throughout Asia for thousands of years, eggplants come in many shapes, sizes, and names.
Interestingly, in Italian, it’s called melanzana, which morphed into “mela insana” or “mad apple” in English, a nod to the 13th century beliefs that eggplants were extremely poisonous and could cause insanity.
While it is true that eggplant leaves and flowers can be toxic if you eat them in large amounts, eggplants are extremely nutritious with a ton of health benefits.
An expert chef’s tips on how to pick the best eggplants
I also wanted to point out that we’re using Chinese eggplants for this recipe. My dad prefers them because they’re less bitter and have fewer seeds than other types of eggplants. This recipe still works with the wider, fatter types of eggplants, with some small adjustments that we talk about later.
Chinese eggplants are long and thin. To choose the best one, pick a slim, brightly-colored one with glossy skin. Don't get wrinkly eggplants, as that's a sign of dehydration. Hold it by the stem and wave it a bit. If it's stiff, don't get it. Instead, it should look elastic, bouncing and swaying as you swing it (also, uh, don't let go).
My parents talk about this in great detail throughout our recipe video, but here are some of the things they look for:
- brighter skin
- thin, slender (not thick)
- should be easy to bend, not firm
- smooth surface
To salt or not to salt
“Should you salt your eggplant?” is a very common question. Salting eggplants used to be a thing centuries ago when eggplants were much more bitter. Nowadays, salting doesn’t really have any noticeable effect on bitterness, because eggplants have been bred to be much more mild in taste.
However, if you’re frying them, salting eggplants does appear to help remove some excess moisture due to osmosis. The salt also helps break down some of the fibers, resulting in a more creamy texture.
In this yuxiang eggplant recipe, my dad is going for a slightly firmer texture. If you’re looking for more of that restaurant-style creamy feel, check out Kenji Alt Lopez’s video, in which he goes into lots of detail about his process, osmosis, and his own version of Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce.
Alternatives to Oyster Sauce
Since oyster sauce is made out of oyster extract, here are some alternatives that have a similar taste without using the actual oyster. If you're vegetarian or need to stay away from gluten, we have three alternatives for you!
- Kikkoman Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- Wok Mei Gluten-Free Oyster Sauce (it still contains oyster extract, so it's not vegetarian friendly)
A homemade vegetarian and gluten-free oyster sauce
Unfortunately, we don't know of a vendor that sells an oyster sauce that caters to both vegetarian and gluten-free dietary restrictions, so you'll need to DIY the sauce.
Mix equal parts gluten free soy sauce and gluten free hoisin sauce. This isn't exactly the same as oyster sauce, but it's pretty close.
Finding Asian ingredients
Some of these ingredients can hard to find in a typical grocery store.
If you don't live near an Asian market, most or all of what my dad uses in this recipe can be found on Amazon:
- Kikkoman Sesame Oil - https://geni.us/kkmsesameoil
- Kikkoman Soy Sauce - https://geni.us/kkmsoysauce
- Kikkoman Tamari - https://geni.us/kkmtamari
- Kikkoman Oyster Sauce - https://geni.us/kkmoystersauce
- Shaoxing Cooking Wine
- Ground Bean Sauce
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (soak for 15 to 20 minutes in warm water before slicing)
These links are affiliate links, which means that if you use our links to purchase these ingredients, Amazon pays my family a small amount for the sale - at no extra cost to you. If you use these links, we really appreciate the support!
Instructions
Prepare and steam eggplant
We'll place a steamer rack in our wok, pan, or steamer, and pour enough water to just barely submerge the rack. Set the stove on high heat and bring the water to a boil.
Then we'll wash the eggplants (22 oz) and cut away the stem.
We'll cut 2-inch pieces along the length of the eggplant. To get more even cuts, you can take a freshly cut piece to measure your next cuts with.
Starting with the tail (the side opposite from the stem), slice the pieces length-wise into 4 long pieces.
Plating the eggplants for steaming
Transfer the pieces to a dish for steaming later.
Chef's Tip: There are two special things that my dad does here:
- He places the skin-side down, facing the cores upward so they cook faster.
- He cuts and plates the head of the eggplant last, because the head tends to be thicker and takes longer to cook.
They talk about this a lot more in our video.
Preparing Western eggplants
This recipe is largely the same with larger, thicker eggplants, with these changes:
- The skin tends to be thicker than that of Chinese eggplants, so you can peel away some (not all) of the skin.
- Cut away some of the seeds from the core
Start steaming
Carefully transfer the plate onto the steamer rack, and cover the wok. Steam for 15 minutes.
Cut vegetables
While we wait for the eggplant to steam for 15 minutes, we’ll start chopping our ingredients.
We’ll be chopping our fresh shiitake mushrooms (2 oz) and mini sweet peppers into small chunks. Cut the tops off of the peppers, and remove the seeds from the center.
We’ll also be mincing garlic (5 clove), ginger (0.50 oz), scallions (3 piece), dried red chilies and another sweet pepper into fine pieces.
- We don't have to peel the ginger if we wash it thoroughly!
You can adjust the amount of dried chilies to your liking.
To make it easier for cooking later, my dad put:
- the chunks of mushrooms and sweet peppers on one plate
- the minced ginger, garlic, chilies, and peppers on another plate
- the scallions on a third plate.
Prepare Yuxiang sauce
Next, we’ll prepare our Yuxiang sauce by mixing:
- light soy sauce (2 tbsp)
- dark soy sauce (1 tbsp)
- oyster sauce (2 tbsp)
- vinegar (2 tbsp)
- brown sugar (3 tbsp)
- ground bean sauce (0.50 tbsp)
- cornstarch (2 tsp)
- water (4 tbsp)
- Shaoxing cooking wine (1 tbsp) (optional)
Mix until the sauce is even.
If you have dietary restrictions with oyster sauce, check out our section on alternatives!
Finish steaming
Once the eggplants are done steaming, you can tell if they're done by squeezing them. They should be soft and a tad bit squishy, but not mushy.
Pour the eggplants into a colander to drain any excess water.
Next, we’ll dump out the water from the wok, dry it, and reheat the wok on high heat for a few minutes until it’s around 300°F to 350°F.
Then, we’ll add corn oil (2 tsp) and let that heat up until it’s shimmering, or forming ripples across the surface.
Cook eggplant
Once our wok is hot enough, we'll cook in a few stages (at restaurants, with an intense stove and a ton of oil, you can just dump everything in all at once):
- Add the minced chilies and peppers, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir for about 30 to 45 seconds to release the aromatics.
- Add the mushrooms. Optionally add some of the scallions. Cook and stir for about 20 to 30 seconds.
- Add the sweet pepper chunks, Cook and stir for about 60 seconds, constantly stirring the wok.
- Add the sauce, and cook until the sauce is boiling.
- Add and mix the eggplant around with the sauce for about 60 to 90 seconds.
- Add sesame oil (1 tsp) and stir.
Plate and garnish
Transfer the dish onto a plate, garnish with the scallions, and call your loved ones over!
Time to eat :)
Pairs well with
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We started Made With Lau to celebrate Cantonese culture and honor the legacy of our wonderful parents, Jenny and Chung Sun Lau.
Our hope is that these recipes and stories help you spread the joy, love, and nostalgia that I felt growing up.
