Grilled Chinese Eggplant with Garlic and Ginger Sauce Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Aug. 09, 2018

I tend to find eggplant either crazy delicious, likethese eggplant spirals, or totally off putting. I couldn't quite put my finger on why until I tried out this recipe forChinese eggplant with a garlic and ginger sauce.

I grilled eggplant slices, and they looked perfect when they were beautifully browned and pulled off the grill. I then nestled my wok right onto the coals, quickly sauteed some garlic, ginger, scallions, and chiles, and tossed in the eggplant and sauce, letting it cook until thickened. It looked so mouthwatering, and I eagerly took a first taste. It had a deep ginger flavor that I love, along with the type of sauce that makes good Chinese food. But something was not right--the texture of the eggplant. In contrast to the creamy eggplant texture I do enjoy, these were a bit too mushy for my palate.

That said, I had a true eggplant lover on hand when I made this, and she found these delicious. So for someone without my hangups, this is an excellent recipe.

Recipe Facts

Prep:30 mins
Cook:15 mins
Total:45 mins
Serves:4 servings

Rate & Comment

华体会应用下载

  • 1 1/2poundsChinese orJapanese eggplant, cut diagonally in 1/2-inch slices

  • 1teaspoonsesame oil

  • 1tablespooncanola orpeanut oil

  • 3clovesgarlic, minced

  • 2teaspoonsmincedfresh ginger

  • 3scallions, thinly sliced

  • 1 to 3jalapeñoor serranochiles, minced

For the Sauce:

  • 3tablespoonssoy sauce

  • 2tablespoonsrice wine

  • 2tablespoons大米vinegar

  • 1tablespoonhoneyor sugar

  • 1tablespooncornstarch

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice wine, rice vinegar, honey, and cornstarch. Set aside.

  2. Light one chimney full of charcoal.When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes.Clean and oilthe grilling grate. Bush the eggplant slices with the sesame oil and grill over medium heat until they have softened and the purple color is gone, turning half-way through. Remove to a plate.

  3. Remove the cooking grate and place your wok directly on top of the coals. Swirl in the canola or peanut oil. If the wok is hot enough, the oil should move quickly around the wok. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions, and chilies. Stir for 10 seconds, until brown and fragrant. Add the eggplant and stir for 1 minute. Stir the sauce and add it to the wok. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until sauce thickens. Remove to a bowl and serve hot or cold.

Nutrition Facts(per serving)
151 Calories
5g Fat
24g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 151
% Daily Value*
Total Fat5g 6%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol0mg 0%
Sodium662mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 5g 18%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein3g
Vitamin C 9mg 46%
Calcium 31mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 327mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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