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A skillet full of eggplants and mushrooms tossed in spicy doubanjiang.
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5 from 4 votes

Easy Spicy Chinese Eggplant Recipe (Vegan)

This Vegan Easy Spicy Chinese Eggplant Recipe is a delicious and easy way to use up your eggplant crop! A healthier version that the one you get Chinese restaurants, the sweet-and-salty savory sauce is full of umami and ever so good with just a bowl of white rice! (I use Doubanjiang as a base, but also show you what to do if you don't have it.)
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 hours 35 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 134kcal
Author: Zen

Equipment

  • Knife and chopping board
  • Metal sieve Optional
  • Large skillet or wok The larger the skillet, the more quickly you can brown the eggplants. Alternatively, you can air fry or steam them.
  • heat proof spatula

Ingredients

  • 1-2 Dried shiitake mushrooms Optional. Remove the stems which can be used to make stock. Rinse then soak the mushrooms caps in hot water for at least 30 minutes then dice finely.
  • 3 egpplants Skin on. Preferably Chinese or Japanese eggplants. If you can only get globe eggplants, soak those in salt water for 10-15 minutes to reduce the bitterness after cutting and before cooking. (Use 1 Tablespoon per litre of water, and don't forget to rinse the eggplants well after they come out of their salt bath!) You may also have to increase the cooking time slightly.
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3-4 Tablespoons vegetable oil Use peanut oil or a neutral vegetable oil for authentic Chinese flavor. No olive oil please! Do not add all the oil at 1 go. We will be adding it bit by bit as we cook.
  • 6 cloves garlic peel and minced
  • 1.5 inch ginger peeled and minced
  • 1 large red chili Optional, omit if you can't take spicy food. Remove seeds and mince. Reserve some for garnishing. Do not touch your eyes after handling chilies!
  • 1 sprig spring onions sliced. Reserve some for garnishing the dish.
  • 2 King Oyster Mushrooms About 200g or 7 oz. Cut into ¼ inch cubes.
  • 2½ Tablespoons doubanjiang (Chili Bean Paste) I use the Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Paste sauce, which is indicated to be suitable for vegetarians and vegans on their website. However, do check the bottle you get to make sure it's plant-based. You can get this Sichuan sauce from the Asian market. See Notes for how to make a substitute sauce.
  • 1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
  • ½ Tablespoon dark soy sauce Crucial for getting the beautiful dark brown glossy sauce.
  • ½ Tablespoon white sugar make sure it's bone-char free to be vegan!
  • 1 Cup vegetable stock: Substitute: water and a pinch of sugar and salt.

Instructions

  • If using, soak the shiitake mushroom caps in hot water.
  • Whilst the mushrooms are soaking, mix the sauces in a small bowl and leave it by the stove.
  • Cut the washed eggplant into batons, about 1.5-2 inches in length. Dry with a paper towel. 
  • Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch over the eggplant in a thin layer- this helps it develop a nice texture when stir-frying.
    Note: Use your hands to make sure they're evenly coated. Place the coated aubergines in a sieve and shake off any excess starch.
  • Over medium heat, heat 1-2 teaspoons of oil till it is shimmering but not smoking in a large skillet of wok. Swirl the oil around.
    Note: You want just enough oil to coat the surface of the pan. Don't use too much or the eggplants will just absorb it oil. You will need to add more oil each time you brown a new batch of eggplants. High heat is crucial for Chinese stir-fries but if the oil ever smokes, reduce the heat.
  • Add the eggplant pieces in a single layer- as many as we can squeeze in because we don't want to be browning eggplants forever- and leave to brown. The eggplants will darken, soften, and wrinkle a bit. In an ideal world, we would brown every side, but we have hungry people waiting to eat, so just brown 1-2 sides per baton. (See Tips for how to steam instead of browning the eggplants.)
  • Once browned, remove from the pan. Repeat till all the eggplants are charred. (You will need to add more oil for every batch. See post for how the eggplants look when there is not enough oil.)
  • Add 1 Tablespoon oil to the pan over medium high heat or high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, quickly stir-fry the ginger and garlic till fragrant, 30-45 seconds. 
  • Add the dried and fresh mushrooms to the pan, along with some sliced spring onions and red chilies. Keeping stirring for 1-2 minutes. It may feel a bit hard to stir initially but the mushrooms will release water, so it'll get easier. If the pan really feels too dry add some water or stock.
  • Return the eggplants to the pan.
  • Add the sauce mixture to the pan and stir a few times till everything is well-coated.
  • Pour in the vegetable stock or water, bring to the boil and cook down, till you get a rich, thick and glossy sauce. This will just take a few minutes.
    Note: If you added too much cornstarch or heated it for too long and the sauce is too thick, just add more water or broth.
  • Stir till the eggplants are all well-coated in the sauce and switch off the fire. Garnish with sliced red chilies and sliced green onions.Serve with white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice!

Notes

Substitute for Doubanjiang sauce: this is not a DIY Doubanjiang sauce but rather a chili garlic sauce that also goes well with sauteed eggplants. Mix 2 Tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons garlic chili sauce, 1 Tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce, 1 Tablespoon Chinese Black Vinegar and ½ Tablespoon sugar. The rest of the recipe is as above.
 
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.

Nutrition

Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 355mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 201IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg