Chinese Stir-Fried Eggplant with Bell Pepper and Garlic Recipe
This colorful vegetarian dish combines tender eggplant with crunchy bell pepper and an intense garlicky soy sauce. In China, similar dishes are often served as one of several plates alongside rice. At home it can easily play the leading role at lunch or dinner – it’s filling, aromatic, and tastes great even to those who don’t usually like eggplant.
A quick, colorful stir-fry that turns simple vegetables into a deeply flavorful main dish thanks to a garlicky soy sauce and the contrast of tender eggplant with crisp bell pepper.
Chef's tips
Don’t skip salting and drying the eggplant – it really helps it brown nicely and prevents it from soaking up too much oil. Use a wide pan or wok so the vegetables can fry rather than steam.
How to serve
Serve as a main dish with a bowl of steamed rice and optionally a simple cucumber salad or pickles on the side to add freshness.
Ingredients
- eggplant medium - 2 pieces
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- garlic - 4 cloves
- fresh ginger (optional) piece about 2 cm - 10 g
- soy sauce - 3 tablespoons
- vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- potato or corn starch - 2 teaspoons
- water (for the sauce) - 4 tablespoons
- oil - 4 tablespoons
- chili flakes or hot paprika powder or more to taste - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt (for sprinkling the eggplant)
Preparation
- Wash the eggplants and cut them into long strips or larger cubes. Transfer to a bowl, lightly salt and set aside for 10–15 minutes until they release some liquid. This way they will absorb less oil.
- Wash the peppers, remove the seeds and cut into strips. Peel and finely chop the garlic. If using ginger, peel and finely chop or grate it.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, starch and water. Stir until the starch dissolves.
- Quickly rinse the eggplants to remove excess salt and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the eggplant and fry for 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the second batch of eggplant, adding another 2 tablespoons of oil.
- In the same pan (if needed, remove excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon), add the garlic, ginger and chili flakes. Fry for 30–40 seconds, stirring, until very fragrant.
- Add the sliced peppers and fry for 3–4 minutes over fairly high heat until slightly softened but still crisp.
- Return the fried eggplant to the pan. Stir the sauce in the bowl again (starch tends to sink to the bottom) and pour it over the vegetables.
- Stir-fry everything together for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the eggplant and peppers evenly.
- Taste and, if needed, season with a little salt or soy sauce. Serve immediately, preferably with rice.
Storage
Danie przechowuj w lodówce w szczelnym pojemniku. Podgrzewaj na patelni na małym ogniu lub w mikrofalówce. Bakłażan po odgrzaniu będzie bardziej miękki, ale nadal smaczny.
