Eggplant was never a favorite of mine, growing up. I think mostly because my mother rarely cooked with it, and if she did, I think she didn’t really know how to cook it in a flavorful way. It was always… bland and chewy. And it didn’t look that great on the plate either.

Fast forward to my early adulthood, when I first met my hubby (we were dating then). I was invited to family dinners, where I was re-introduced to eggplant (I was also introduced to bitter melon which I was not so much of a fan). And WOW was I shocked at how good eggplant actually was! Maybe it was my mother-in-law’s Cantonese sauces, but whatever it was, I was sold. And when we would go out to eat, those eggplant dishes were OH so good, but oh-so-difficult to replicate (later, I found out that you deep fry the eggplants in hot oil and plate them, then you make the sauce separate and pour over the eggplant - not very healthy, but oh man it is SO good).

I’ve been trying to find a more “healthy” way of cooking eggplant, but with similar flavors. I tried a steaming recipe, a roasting recipe, but in the end, I ended up with the good old tried and true stirfry/wok method (I don’t know the source of this recipe, sorry) ~

My wok, with pieces of eggplant with garlic, ginger, green onions, bits of red chilies, sizzling in oil (before adding sauce):

It came out steaming hot, but I love the saucyness of it and how it goes well with steamed white rice.

Here’s what you need:

1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
4 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
4 thin slices of fresh ginger
4 dried red chilies
2 eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
1/4 cup rice wine or sherry
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
salt to taste

1. Mix together the cornstarch, broth, water, and sesame oil in a small bowl, set aside.

2. Heat half of the vegetable oil in a large wok (or frying pan) over medium heat. Add the garlic, green onion, ginger, and chilies and stirfry for a minute, until fragrant.

3. Add remaining oil, swirling to coat the sides of the pan.

4. When oil is hot, toss in the eggplant and stirfry until evenly coated with oil. Then spread it out into a single layer in the wok. Brown for 3 minutes without stirring.

5. Flip over pieces and spread in a single layer, cook another 3 minutes. Stir again, and cook another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned.

6. Gently stir in the wine and soy sauce; the eggplant should absorb it quickly. If some of the larger pieces of eggplant are still not cooked through, reduce heat and continue cooking until done, stirring occasionally.

7. Add cornstarch mixture, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring a few more moments until the sauce thickens and coats the eggplant.

8. Taste and season with salt, if needed.

Serve over steamed rice. Serves 4.

*Variation: To make it more substantial, cut baked/marinated tofu into cubes and add it to the wok with the rice wine and soy sauce (step #6). You can also add ground beef or pork.