• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Explore Cook Eat

  • Recipes Home
  • 1,000 Foods to Eat Project
  • MUST Try Korean Dishes!
  • About Me
  • Recipes
    • USA
    • Asia
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Europe
  • Travel
    • USA
      • New Mexico
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • North Carolina
    • Japan
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Home » Recipes

Silky and Superb Sichuan Eggplant!

Aug 26, 2021Last Modified: August 27, 2021

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about how to make Silky and Superb Sichuan Eggplant!

Sichuan Eggplant in a cast iron pan

Sichuan Eggplant - Where Have You Been All My Life?

This tremendous Chinese dish, a speciality of the Sichuan province, has been around a very long time. However, it only recently entered my life as a dish I had to try for my 1,000 Foods To Eat Project. I regret it took so long for me to discover this amazing dish...but better late than never as they say!

1,000 FOODS TO EAT PROJECT

I am working my way through the foods that are listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. This is called my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project. The Chinese Sichuan dish called Sichuan Eggplant is food #53 in my Project!

1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die Front Jacket
1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die

In this book, the author Mimi Sheraton lists her choice for the 1,000 Foods of the World that you MUST try. Sichuan Eggplant, which is one of Sichuan's favorite foods, is an absolute dream of a dish! Please don't let another day pass you by before enjoying it! 😃

What Ingredients Will I Need To Make Sichuan Eggplant?

Sichuan Eggplant is a pretty simple dish to make. However, if you are not familiar with ingredients typically used in Sichuan cooking, there may be a tiny bit of a learning curve regarding those ingredients.

I have linked to Amazon for some of these ingredients for convenience sake. You should be able to find everything in a well stocked Asian store.

So, here are the ingredients you will need:

  • Japanese or Chinese eggplant - this dish is best using Asian eggplant, and not the American or standard globe eggplant. Here is an article from FineCooking.com which explains the differences amongst these eggplants.
  • Salt (for soaking the eggplant)
  • Sichuan peppercorn - these are quite amazing! They generate a numbing and tingly feeling in your mouth. It may seem strange at first, but I promise it's addictive! You will want to grind up the peppercorns for use in this dish.
  • Minced pork (can omit if you like)
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Dried Asian chilies - leave whole for a spicy dish, and cut them up for more spice!
  • Sugar
  • Light soy sauce (can sub regular soy sauce)
  • Black vinegar
  • Chicken stock
  • Vegetable or peanut oil
  • Potato starch (can sub corn starch)
  • Sesame oil
  • Spring onions for garnish
  • Pixian Douban (broad bean paste) - this adds a fantastic rich salty flavor to this dish! Indispensable!
  • Box of Sichuan Pixian Douban
    Pixian Douban
  • Sichuan peppercorns
    Sichuan Peppercorn
  • Dried chilies
    Dried Asian Chilies

The beauty of acquiring these ingredients is that you can use them to not only make Sichuan eggplant, but you now have the tools to cook up quite an array of delicious Sichuan dishes! More about that later.

Above all, please don't let the list of ingredients put you off of making this dish. It's totally worth it! 😊

The Easy Steps To Make Sichuan Eggplant

Silky and delicious Sichuan eggplant is just a few steps away! Begin by cutting up the eggplant into somewhat small slivers as pictured below. Then soak it in some salty water for around 15 minutes or so. Coat the eggplant with the potato starch after draining and patting dry the eggplant. Then stir fry on a blazing high heat for a few minutes until nicely browned, softened and silky. You'll set this aside until later.

cut up eggplant in a cast iron pan
pieces of eggplant which have been stir fried in a white bowl

Next it's time to fry your pork. I love making crispy pork it's super fun! Sometimes the pork starts popping out of the pan when it gets crispy. 😃Set the pork aside until later.

crispy minced pork in a cast iron pan

Here is where everything comes together! You'll begin this magic by stir frying the Pixian Douban (broad bean paste) with a sauce consisting of light soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, and chicken broth.

Then it's time to incorporate copious amounts of garlic and ginger. Next, add the stir fried eggplant and pork to the mix, finishing off by mixing in the tingly Sichuan peppercorn, Asian dried chilies, and drizzling with sesame oil.

  • PIxian Douban with a sauce in a cast iron pan with spatula on the side
    Pixian douban with stir fry sauce
  • Pixian douban with minced garlic and ginger in a cast iron pan
    Add garlic and ginger to the sauce and Pixian douban
  • stir fried eggplant and crispy minced pork added to seasonings in a cast iron pan with spatula on the side
    Return the eggplant and crispy pork

Here is the glorious end result...Sichuan eggplant RICH with flavor! This dish is salty, garlicky, gingery, spicy, silky and downright INCREDIBLE!

Sichuan Eggplant in a cast iron pan

Serve Sichuan Eggplant With Rice!

Traditionally this dish is served with steamed rice and garnished with green onions. Truly that's all you need. I devoured mouthful after mouthful and the only regret I had was that I didn't make more!

Sichuan eggplant with rice in a bowl and chopsticks on the side

I am pretty confident that you will devour this dish just as I did. Please take time to enjoy the complex flavors in this dish, as well as the mouth numbing and tingling effect. TRULY ADDICTIVE!

Some Other Sichuan Dishes For You To Try!

Why not use the wonderful Chinese ingredients you buy for Sichuan eggplant in these other incredible Sichuan dishes?

The One and Only Hot and Numbing Chengdu Chicken

Chengdu Chicken
#43 Chengdu Chicken

How To Make Divine Dan Dan Noodles!

Dan dan noodles in a bowl with chopsticks holding up some of the noodles
#52 Dan Dan Noodles

If you’d like to come along on this food journey with me, please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It’s an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here. 🙂

Cheers!

Grace

Sichuan Eggplant in a cast iron pan

Silky and Superb Sichuan Eggplant!

Grace
Sichuan Eggplant is a DREAM of a dish! Salty, garlicky, gingery, spicy, silky and downright incredible you will absolutely devour this!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 8 mins
Soaking time for the eggplant 15 mins
Total Time 38 mins
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese, Sichuan
Servings 3 servings

Equipment

  • Cast iron pan or wok

Ingredients
  

  • ½ lb Japanese or Chinese eggplant
  • 1 ts salt for soaking the eggplant
  • 1 tablespoon potato starch can sub corn starch
  • 3 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
  • ¼ lb minced pork
  • ½ tablespoon Pixian Douban broad bean paste; if you can't find this you can omit it BUT please include in this dish if you can it's not the same without it!
  • 2 ts ginger minced
  • 2 ts garlic minced
  • 7-10 dried Asian chilies modify to suit your tastes; leave whole for a less spicy dish, and cut them up for a more spicy dish
  • 1 ts Sichuan peppercorn freshly ground is best
  • sesame oil for drizzling
  • spring onions sliced for garnish

Sauce

  • 1 ts light soy sauce can sub regular soy sauce
  • 1 ts black vinegar
  • ½ ts sugar
  • 3 tablespoon chicken stock

Instructions
 

  • Cut up the eggplant into thin slivers as shown in the picture. Then soak it in some salty water for around 15 minutes or so. Coat the eggplant with the potato starch after draining and patting dry the eggplant.
    cut up eggplant in a cast iron pan
  • Add 3 tablespoon of your vegetable or peanut oil to as cast iron pan or wok, and turn the heat to high. Once the oil is super hot, add the eggplant and stir fry constantly until they soften a bit (about 3-4 minutes), are silky, and slightly browned. Remove and set aside for later.
    pieces of eggplant which have been stir fried in a white bowl
  • Turn down the heat to medium high. Now add the minced pork to the pan and continue to stir fry until the pork turns crispy. This should take around 3-4 minutes. Remove and set aside for later.
    crispy minced pork in a cast iron pan
  • Continue on medium high heat. Stir fry the Pixian Douban (broad bean paste) with a sauce consisting of light soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, and chicken broth for about 30 seconds.
    PIxian Douban with a sauce in a cast iron pan with spatula on the side
  • Add the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry to incorporate until fragrant (around 30 seconds).
    Pixian douban with minced garlic and ginger in a cast iron pan
  • Next, add the stir fried eggplant and pork to the mix, finishing off by mixing in the tingly Sichuan peppercorn, Asian dried chilies, and drizzling with sesame oil.
    stir fried eggplant and crispy minced pork added to seasonings in a cast iron pan with spatula on the side
  • Behold your masterpiece!
    Sichuan Eggplant in a cast iron pan

Notes

Serve with lots of steamed rice and your favorite pair of chopsticks.  Enjoy this incredible dish from the Sichuan province of China! 
Keyword eggplant, sichuan eggplant, spicy food
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
« How To Make Pork Chops Using The Sous Vide Method
Easy To Make Superb Spicy Chicken Bulgogi! »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Sign up so that you never miss the greatest recipes!

About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

Recent Posts

  • Crispy Garlicky Roast Chicken Recipe
  • DELISH South Carolina Benne Wafers Recipe
  • Middle Eastern Style Cabbage Salad Recipe
  • Roasted Carrots With Berbere Spice Recipe
  • Perfectly Pan Fried Rainbow Trout Recipe

Recent Comments

  • Grace on All About Samyang 2x Spicy Buldak Ramen!
  • Alexis on All About Samyang 2x Spicy Buldak Ramen!
  • Grace on Easy and Delicious Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburgers!
  • Grace L Henrie on Easy and Delicious Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburgers!
  • Grace on How To Cook Korean Short Ribs In The Oven

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Footer

Amazon Associates Disclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 Explore Cook Eat on the Foodie Pro Theme