Spicy eggplant stir fry is flavourful, quick, easy stir-fry, and great for dinner.


 

What is Eggplant?

A deep purple fruit that looks nothing like an egg (in my humble opinion).
Eggplant comes in a longish shape, is soft and spongy, and is used in cooking.

In Australia, this fruit/ vegetable is known as eggplant.
It is also known as brinjals (in most parts of the world) or aubergine to British English.

Ingredients for the stir-fry

The list of ingredients and methods can be found in the recipe card below.
As always, I will walk you through the steps to cooking a perfect eggplant stir-fry.

Only a few ingredients are needed to make this stir-fry.
You will need the following:
a) Eggplant (aubergine or brinjals)
b) Garlic
c) Chillies
d) Oyster sauce
e) salt
f) corn flour to make corn flour slurry


In Australia, this is known as eggplant!


Cut eggplant into chunks.


Soak the cut eggplant in salted water.
This step is necessary to remove any saps and stop the cut eggplant from turning brown.


b) Garlic
Chopped garlic.


c) Chillies
I used bird's eye chilli for my stir-fry.
It gives extra heat to the eggplant dish.

How to stir-fry eggplant?

Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to the heated wok.


Add chopped garlic.
Stir until the chopped garlic is fragrant and slightly brown in colour.


Add cut-up eggplants.


Cover the wok to let the eggplant properly cook through.
Let the steam work and leave the cover on for 5 to 8 minutes.


Uncover and add oyster sauce.


Cover the wok again.


Add cut-up chillies.


Add salt.


Add corn flour slurry to thicken the sauce.

FAQ

Why do I need to soak the eggplant with salt?

Soaking in salt water can bring out the bitterness in the eggplant.

Why does my mouth feel itchy when eating eggplant?

You may have an allergy to eggplant, I do too!
The itchiness will not last long.
Drink plenty of water and you will feel the itchiness will subside in no time at all.
No EpiPen is required.

How to serve eggplant stir-fry?

This Chinese-style eggplant stir-fry is served as a side dish (vegetables) and served along with hot steamed rice.

How do I keep any left over?

As always, keep any leftover food in an air-tight container and place them in the fridge.

Recipes that you may want to try

Thai salad with peanut sauce
Roasted sesame dressings

How to cook Chinese eggplant stir-fry