Sichuan Style Braised Aubergines (Print)
Tender aubergine in a Sichuan chili-garlic sauce with scallions — savory and ideal with steamed rice.
# What You Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 1.3 pounds eggplants, cut into thick batons
02 - 2 spring onions, finely sliced
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, finely chopped
05 - 1 red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
→ Sauce
06 - 2 tablespoons doubanjiang (Sichuan fermented broad bean chili paste)
07 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
08 - 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
09 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
10 - 1 teaspoon sugar
11 - 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
→ Oil and Seasoning
12 - 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
13 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
14 - Salt, to taste
→ Thickener
15 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch
16 - 2 tablespoons water
# How To Make It:
01 - Sprinkle the eggplant batons lightly with salt and set aside for 10 minutes to extract excess water. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
02 - Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant pieces until golden and tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the eggplant and drain on paper towels.
03 - Remove excess oil from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Add ginger, garlic, and chili. Stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Stir in the doubanjiang and cook for 1 additional minute, constantly stirring until the oil is red and aromatic.
05 - Return the fried eggplant to the pan. Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and vegetable stock. Gently toss to coat the eggplant evenly.
06 - Cover and simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the eggplant is meltingly tender and infused with sauce.
07 - Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to create a slurry. Stir the slurry into the pan and cook for 30 seconds, allowing the sauce to thicken.
08 - Drizzle with sesame oil and garnish with spring onions before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- There’s a beautiful depth that comes from the way the aubergines soak up the punchy sauce, making every bite rich and satisfying.
- It’s the sort of dish that can turn plain steamed rice into something you’ll crave again and again.
02 -
- If you skip salting or undercook the aubergines, they stay tough and don’t soak up the sauce—it makes all the difference in texture.
- Letting the sauce bubble low and slow helps all those complicated flavors mellow and fuse, so don’t be tempted to rush the simmer.
03 -
- Letting the aubergines rest and absorb the sauce after turning off the heat makes them even silkier.
- A quick scorch from a hot pan at the start builds irresistible smokiness you just can’t fake later.