Chinese Steamed Eggplant
Just as silky and flavorful as fried eggplant, this recipe leans on a smart steaming technique that’s much healthier and easier than deep frying.
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 154
- Total Fat
- 12 g
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Protein
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Sodium
- 417 mg
Article by Andy Liang
What’s Unique about Food Network’s Chinese Steamed Eggplant?
Chinese restaurants often fry their eggplants. Doing so only takes a few minutes and achieves silky, flavorful results. The method in this recipe achieves similar results without deep frying. First, you’ll soak the eggplant in salted vinegar water to enhance its purple color, season the eggplant from the inside out and prevent the eggplant from soaking up too much water. You’ll steam the eggplant to tenderize it, then pour hot oil over it to quickly crisp it up and cook aromatic toppings including garlic and scallions.
How to Set Up Your Steamer
There are several ways you can steam the eggplant, including the below. Make sure that your heat-proof plate fits within the steamer basket.
- Large Dutch oven or wok filled with 1-inch of water and a 12-inch bamboo steamer basket.
- Wok, tight-fitting lid and small round stainless steel steamer racks.
- Large pot with a metal tiered steamer basket and lid.
What Is Japanese Eggplant? What Is Chinese Eggplant?
Chinese or Japanese eggplants are slender and long compared to their American globe counterpart. Chinese and Japanese eggplants are very similar to one another in size so they can be used interchangeably.
How to Buy Japanese and Chinese Eggplant
When picking through eggplant in the supermarket, look for size and weight first. Pick the smaller-sized eggplants with a heavier weight for their size. This ensures your eggplant has fewer seeds and is freshest. The eggplant should have smooth skin with a deep purple color and a green stem. When you gently press the skin, the flesh should feel firm but bouncy.
Can You Substitute Other Types of Eggplant?
This recipe can be made using globe eggplants. However, you’ll have to trim the globe eggplants into smaller segments before proceeding with the cutting instructions laid out in the recipe because they’re much larger than Chinese or Japanese eggplants. Smaller eggplants like Zebra/Sicilian eggplants or even white eggplants can be used in this recipe so long as the batons measure about 3 to 4 inches long by 1/2-inch thick. We don’t recommend using Thai eggplants as they are firmer and typically simmer in a curry for a long cook time.
What to Serve with Chinese Steamed Eggplant
We recommend serving this alongside protein and rice to soak up all the sauce. It can also be served by itself with rice and a fried egg for a vegetation-friendly meal.
How to Store and Reheat Chinese Steamed Eggplant
Store this dish in the refrigerator covered for up to 3 days. Reheat it covered in a microwave-safe plate until it’s steaming. Enjoy the eggplants that have been soaking in the flavorful sauce overnight.
Chinese Steamed Eggplant
- Level: Easy
- Total: 40 min
- Active: 20 min
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 154
- Total Fat
- 12 g
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Protein
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Sodium
- 417 mg
- Level: Easy
- Total: 40 min
- Active: 20 min
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 154
- Total Fat
- 12 g
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Protein
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Sodium
- 417 mg
Ingredients
Directions
Special equipment:
a steamer basket- Combine 8 cups cold water, the vinegar and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a large bowl and stir until the salt dissolves.
- Trim the ends of each eggplant, then cut each crosswise into 3 segments (each about 3 to 4 inches). Cut each segment into quarters lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick; you should have 3- to 4-inch-long and 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Soak the cut eggplant in the vinegar water for about 15 minutes.
- While the eggplant soaks, fill a large pot with a tight-fitting lid with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat for a strong simmer. Lower to medium-low heat. Place a steamer basket or steamer insert into the pot so it sits just above the water level and cover the pot.
- Stir the light soy sauce, chili crisp, oyster sauce, sugar, Chinkiang vinegar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper together in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Drain the eggplant. Use your hands to gently squeeze out excess water from the eggplant. Discard the soaking water. Arrange the eggplant in two rows on a large heat-resistant plate that can fit into your steamer setup. Place in the steamer, cover and steam until the eggplant is tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Using hot mitts to protect your hands, remove the plate from the steamer. Drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the eggplant. Sprinkle with the garlic and scallions.
- Heat the neutral oil in a small saucepan over high heat until it begins to smoke, watching it closely, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully pour the hot oil over the garlic and scallions; they should sizzle and become aromatic. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately or enjoy at room temperature. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
