Vegan Chinese Aubergine Recipes

SZECHUAN EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch thick half-moons or into bite-sized pieces ( see photos). Place in a big bowl covered with water and stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Cover with a plate and let stand 20-30 minutes.
• In the meantime, chop the garlic and ginger and make the Szechuan Sauce.
• To make the Szechuan Sauce: Toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Crush. Place these along with the remaining ingredients ( soy, chili paste, sesame oil, rice vinegar, Chinese cooking wine, sugar, and five spice) in a small bowl and whisk. Set by the stove.
• Drain and rinse the eggplant and pat dry with a towel. Toss with the corn starch.
• heat 1 -2 tablespoons oil in an extra-large skillet over medium heat. Add half the eggplant spreading them out. You want to get both sides nice and golden, and the insides cooked through -so take your time here and dont rush this step. Let one side brown then turn them over using tongs. This will take about 10 minutes for each batch. ( If in a hurry sometimes I'll use 2 pans.) Set the eggplant aside.
• Add 1 more tablespoon oil to the skillet, and over medium heat, add the garlic and ginger, stirring for 2 minutes. Turn the fan on, add the dried chilis and stir one minute. Pour the Szechuan sauce into the pan and bring to a simmer for 20 seconds. Add the eggplant back into the skillet, tossing gently for about 1 minute. If it seems dry add a tablespoon of water to loosen.
• Place in a serving dish and top with scallions and optional peanuts.
• Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, black rice or rice noodles.

VEGAN CHINESE AUBERGINE

Steps:

• Cut aubergines / eggplants into 3-4 thick slices and then each slice into wedges lengthwise.
• OPTIONAL: Place aubergine / eggplant pieces in a colander over a deep plate. Sprinkle liberally with salt and set aside for the salt to draw the bitterness out. After 45 mins, wash the salt off and blot the aubergine dry with a kitchen towel.
• Sprinkle the aubergine / eggplant pieces with a thin layer of cornflour / cornstarch. You can either use a small sieve for this (or a tea strainer) or a large ziplock bag although I prefer the former as it's kinder on the environment. If using a bag, place aubergine pieces and cornflour in it. Zip up and shake the contents well to coat the aubergine.
• Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan, on medium heat. Once the oil warms up, place the aubergine / eggplant pieces in the pan and fry until gently charred on the outside and cooked through. Rotate the pieces around the pan to make sure they brown evenly on all sides. You may need to fry the aubergine in batches if your pan is small. Once ready, set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine tamari (or soy sauce), rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil and 3 tbsp of water. In another small bowl, combine ½ tbsp cornflour with 2 tbsp of water to thicken the sauce with later.
• Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add spring onions and sliced chilli (if using). Stir fry until soft (about 1-2 minutes), then add diced ginger and garlic - fry until they both soften and become fragrant (about 1 minute).
• Push the aromatics to the side of the pan and pour in the sauce, followed by the cornflour slurry. Mix the two well. Simmer the sauce gently for a few seconds so that it can thicken.
• Stir in grilled aubergine to warm it up gently. Serve over a bowl of steaming hot rice.

CHINESE EGGPLANT WITH GARLIC SAUCE (红烧茄子)

Steps:

• (Option 1) Place eggplant in a large bowl and add water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt, mix well. Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant under water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
• (Option 2) Spread the sliced eggplant out on a paper towel. Sprinkle Kosher salt on both sides of the eggplant slices. Allow to rest for 45-60 minutes. Pat dry without rinsing.
• Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mix well.
• Sprinkle eggplant with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix by hand, until eggplant is evenly coated with with a thin layer of cornstarch.
• Add 2 tablespoons oil to a big nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat until hot. Spread eggplant across the bottom of the skillet without overlapping. Cook the eggplant one side at a time until all the surfaces are charred and the eggplant turns soft, 8 to 10 minutes in total. Transfer the eggplants to a plate. If the skillet gets too hot and starts to smoke, turn to medium heat.
• Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil, the ginger and garlic into the same skillet. Stir a few times until fragrant. Add all the eggplant back into the skillet. Mix the sauce again until cornstarch is fully dissolved and pour it over the eggplant. Immediately stir a few times, until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a big plate.
• Serve hot as a side or as main over steamed rice or noodles.