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    Chinese Chili Eggplant (Must Try This)


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    Have you ever thought to go vegan because you are looking a little bulky and then go back to your old junk-eating habit, which is not normal or healthy for you? Well, I bring to you a nutritious and juicy recipe, and chances are you will love it wholeheartedly.

    The Chinese chili eggplant is an authentic Chinese dish, with a hint of tender, juicy eggplant but covered in its crispy skin. then smothered in the spicy sauce, which is also called Szechuan sauce in Asian countries.

    This dish is elite, and by this, I mean that it can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or even a main course by pairing it with a batch of freshly cooked rice. The Chinese name for this dish is Yu Xiang Qie Zi, which commonly translates as “fish-flavored eggplant.”

    This doesn’t have to do with the seafood fragrance or anything, it is called this way only because this spicy sauce is used in the making of all seafood and fish-related dishes. The mind may assume that it’s not a dish to devour, but believe your gut and dive right into it.

    If you read this blog, you’ll be eager to try it, as there are numerous tips and tricks for doing it correctly.

    Why you’ll love making it?

    • Gets ready in 30 minutes only.
    • The recipe is easy to make and can be served with so many different foods.
    • Ingredients are minimal with clear instructions.
    • The dish turns out delicious and very flavorful and can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or main meal.
    • Low fat and almost no cholesterol because of the stir-frying method.

    How to prepare eggplant for Chinese chili eggplant?

    You should always prepare eggplants first for making the Chinese chili eggplant recipe. As it can be bitter and slimy, indicating a bad eggplant, the prior preparation will help you go through this step easily before it ruins the whole pot.

    The preparation process includes the soaking and cubing of this vegetable to remove its bitter taste and make it ready for stir-frying in Thai style, leading to crunchy skin and spongy insides.

    Varieties of Eggplant

    How to make crispy Chinese chili garlic eggplant?

    INGREDIENTS:

    • Eggplant
    • Red onion
    • Green scallions
    • Garlic
    • Dried red chilies
    • Corn flour
    • Cooking oil

    For the sauce:

    • Dark soy sauce
    • Sugar
    • Chinese chili oil
    • Sesame oil
    • Pink salt
    • Black peppercorns
    • Chicken flavored cubes
    • Add these ingredients and mix them to make a sauce, then keep it on the side.

    DIRECTIONS TO COOK:

    • With two spoons of oil, add the corn flour to the diced eggplants and flip them until every bit of eggplant is covered.
    • Stir-fry them in an oil that is enough to cover half of the eggplants. Stirfry them until they turn into golden brown exterior crunchy skin.
    Ingredients to be incorporated into Chinese Chilli eggplant recipe
    Follow the steps for the perfect Chinese Chili Eggplant recipe.
    • In the same pan, add red onion and dried red chili first; then into it, add onion and dried red pepper. When the onions are wilted, put in scallions, garlic and eggplant with a little dash of cooking oil.
    Frying the egg plant and adding onions to it
    Frying the eggplant evenly is the key
    • Then, in this veggie mixture pour the sauce and cook it on high heat until the sauce is thickened and blanketed on each vegetable.
    • Top it off with sesame seeds (optional), and green scallion, and serve it with a bowl of jasmine rice.
    Steps of making a chinese chilli eggplant
    Choosing the right sauces can give you the perfect taste

    Should eggplants be peeled for Chinese chili garlic?

    You don’t have to peel the eggplant to cook the Chinese chili eggplant.

    This is mainly because the skin is edible and packed with so much nutrition, which is beneficial for your body. Though the skin of big eggplants can be rough and tough, it is essential for braising and stir-frying.

    This will also support the eggplants while stir-frying, so they don’t stick or burn when cooked to perfection. However, while you are not peeling, it is essential to wash the eggplant’s outer skin and then pat it dry, so the results are beyond expectations.

    what is the difference between global eggplant and Chinese eggplant?

    While both of these can be used in cooking, there are still noticeable differences between global and Chinese eggplant that make them distinct from each other in their way.

    Here are some of the major dissimilarities:

    • The global or regular eggplant can be easily bought throughout the world while the Chinese or Japanese is only found in Asian countries.
    • The skin is shinier and brighter in color in the global ones comparatively to the Chinese eggplant which is a lighter, almost pastel exterior.
    • The Chinese eggplants are thinner and long, however, global eggplants are round and thicker.
    • The insides of global eggplants are white and spongy while the long Chinese eggplants have white flesh with an intense deepness to them.
    • Global eggplants have an enormous amount of seeds making them more bitter than usual eggplants, regardless the Chinese ones have less seed count hence mattering them less bitter and ideal for any recipe.

    What should I do to eliminate the bitterness of eggplant?

    You get a bitter taste in your eggplant while preparing your vegetables; here’s how to fix it.

    First, cube or dice the eggplant, then soak it in milk for 30 minutes total; this not only blows up the bitterness but makes the eggplant creamy since it acts as a sponge when soaked in the milk.

    The bitterness also depends upon the type of eggplant you are about to use; if the bitterness is more prevalent in global eggplant, sprinkle some salt on it before soaking; this triggers the plant for osmosis, hence allowing this porous veggie to throw up its bitterness.

    If you don’t like the salt method, then the preferred method could be chilling, chill it up in the freezer; when it is thawed back, along with water the bitter taste of it will be leaked up.

    Is it better to fry or bake eggplant?

    It depends on your preference as to whether you like it baked or fried.

    However, the eggplant is baked when it is large and intact in shape so that the whole fruit is baked evenly with tenderized insides, without the hassle, fat, or grease, but this will not crisp up the outer skin.

    Although you can fear fat content increasing through the frying method, stir-frying is still the most convenient as it doesn’t require deep-frying in tons of oil. This makes the outer skin crunchy while cooking the coating to perfection.

    What does eggplant do to your body?

    While eggplant is known for causing hives, an itchy throat, tongue, and lips after eating it, and most importantly stomach cramps followed by diarrhea and vomiting, this is not true if cooked properly.

    The benefits are countless, the minimal of these include antioxidant properties because of the richness in vitamins C and A, including polyphenols, which help lower the blood sugar of a diabetic patient. Some more benefits are reduced heart risks, promotion of cancer-fighting cells, and help with weight loss.

    Can I make homemade chili oil?

    Yes, if you cannot find authentic Chinese chili oil, you can quickly make it at home from scratch.

    All you need is:

    • Neutral flavored oil (sesame, peanut, or canola oil)
    • 4 aromatic spices (bay leaves, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon stick, and star anise)
    • Salt
    • Sichuan chili flakes
    • Optional aromatics (garlic, shallots, and black cardamom)

    Add everything to an oil and then let it come to heat until the oil turns its color from transparent to red translucent.

    Tips and tricks:

    • Always taste a little bit of each eggplant while preparing it for the recipe.
    • Use extra virgin oil or sesame oil to coat the cubed eggplant properly.
    • Make everything in one pot so every ingredient can catch up on the flavor.
    • Do not deep fry the eggplants, rather stir fry them.
    • For authentic Chinese chili eggplant, make sure to use materials that are Chinese or from Asian countries.

    NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

    NutritionPer serving
    Calories145kcal
    Total fat6.4g
    Cholesterol0.3mg
    Sodium313mg
    Potassium324mg
    Total carbohydrates23g
    Proteins2.6g
    Nutritional table for Chinese chili eggplant

    SUMMARY:

    • The Chinese chili eggplant is a vegan dish that will suit your diet and fit your body.
    • Traditionally it is served with rice but you can alter the main food.
    • You can make this Chinese chili eggplant in under 20 minutes when you don’t want to spend time in front of your stove.
    • You have to be careful when frying those eggplants, add just enough oil as they have spongy nature and can absorb a lot of oil.
    • All you need to make this dish is a pan, oil, Szechuan sauce, prepared eggplant, and cornflour for crisping up everything.

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