Hot and Sour Eggplant 酸辣茄子
The star of this dish is actually the Hot and Sour Sauce. You can use this sauce for any steamed, blanched or fried vegetable or meat. Even use it over some noodles. I love it with anything, really!I especially love this sauce with fresh seafood!Many Chinese dishes add quite a bit of oil when making dishes like this. If that’s not your thing, you can skip the oil altogether.Feel free to add more aromatics like Sichuan peppercorn, Chinese celery, cilantro, pickled radish, bamboo shoots….you get the picture!I simply love this sauce!!!
Approximate cost (CAD) $2
Ingredients
- 1 Japanese eggplant (approx. 200g)
- 1 stalk Green onions
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Shallot
- 2 Thai chilies
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 ½ tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or any black vinegar)
I use Chinkiang vinegar aka Zhenjiang vinegar
Instructions
- Cut eggplant into strips
I chose to peel my eggplant because the skin was getting a bit wrinkly. You can use any kind of eggplant 
- Arrange the eggplant in one layer and steam at high for 20-30 minutes or until cooked
- When the eggplant is steaming, prepare the sauce
- Chop green onions, garlic, shallot and Thai chilies. Set aside
- Combine 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 ½ tsp sugar, 1 tsp oyster sauce and 2 tbsp Zhenjiang vinegar in a bowl and set aside
- When eggplant is done, place them in a serving plate, drain and discard any liquids and set aside
- In a sauce pan or small pot, add 2 tbsp oil and turn heat on to medium-high
- Add garlic and shallots to the pot and cook until shallots are soft. Add Thai chilies
- Add premixed sauces to the pot. Mix well and bring to a simmer
- Pour the sauce over the eggplant
- Sprinkle chopped green onions and serve
