This is my quick method for making an Eggplant Stir-fry. I've made this many times in the past, and there is no need to salt the eggplant beforehand. I use a simple panfrying + steaming technique and the eggplant does not end up too oily. The sauce is made with garlic, chicken bouillon powder, soy sauce, and oyster sauce!

I'm back with yet ANOTHER recipe that is made with my mom's homegrown vegetables. This time I'm making an eggplant stir-fry. Apparently, they took almost 2 months to grow, so I'm gonna make sure they get cooked with a lot of love. The recipe is very actually simple, but I think it allows the eggplant to shine to its fullest.

What eggplant to use?

For this recipe, you want to use Chinese eggplants (or Japanese eggplants as they're sometimes called). These are much longer and skinnier than regular eggplants, and they actually look like the eggplant emoji (🍆). The reason I prefer them is because they have way less seeds, so you don't need to core them like you do with regular eggplants.

Do I need to salt the eggplant?

The short answer is no. The main reason people salt eggplant is so it absorbs less oil. But in my experience, this doesn't actually work very well. I've salted eggplant many times in the past, and it still absorbed a lot of oil.

I've found the best way to prevent excessive oil from being absorbed is to add the oil in stages. The oil at the beginning gets absorbed quickly, but after cooking for a bit, the second batch of oil does not really get absorbed.

Cooking process

Here are some pictures I took of the cooking process to help you out. The full recipe details are in the recipe card below.

eggplant being steamed in wok. — steam the eggplant

eggplant batons after being seared and steamed. — sear the eggplant

sauce mixture being thickened in wok. — make the sauce

eggplant being tossed with sauce in wok. — combine with the eggplant

Quick Eggplant Stir-fry

This a is quick and simple way to cook eggplant. No need to salt the eggplant beforehand. I used my mom's homegrown eggplant for this and they came out so tasty.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Servings people

Ingredients

2 long Chinese/Japanese eggplants
⅓ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce (or another teaspoon of soy sauce)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons oil (divided)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

Instructions

Slice the eggplant into 3-inch long batons.
In a small bowl, combine the water, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the eggplant and stir until the oil is absorbed mostly absorbed. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover with a lid, and steam for 60-90 seconds until the water evaporates.
Remove the lid and drizzle another tablespoon of oil all over. Stir fry the eggplant for another 30 seconds. Remove the eggplant to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining one tablespoon of oil to the empty wok. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds until it smells fragrant.
Add the sauce mixture and cook until it thickens.
Add back all the eggplant and toss until it is evenly coated in the sauce. Enjoy!