Easy Spicy aubergine salad, Chinese -style
This Chinese style spicy aubergine (eggplant) salad is very easy and quick to make. It is a great accompaniment to your Chinese themed dinner party. A nice and spicy side dish, in fact I often enjoy it as a simple & quick lunch with some plain white rice.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
🥘 Main ingredients
- Aubergine
- garlic
- ginger
- chilli paste, or fresh chilli pepper
- olive oil
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- maple syrup, or sugar
- water
- cornstarch
- spring onions (scallions)
- coriander
I have used Japanese aubergines, which are the long thin ones. But you could make this dish with regular aubergines. Or also with the small, mini aubergines. Which would look quiet cute!
📖 Variations
Make this dish your own!
You can adjust the spices to your own liking. Add more chilli’s if you prefer your dish very hot and spicy. The sauce can be made very strong flavoured, by using less water.
Make this dish your own by changing its topping with;
- parsley
- chives
- mint
- sesame seeds
- toasted chopped peanuts
- almonds sliced and toasted
- crispy fried onions
In china lunches and dinners often consists of having multiple sharing bowls on a table. This spicy aubergine salad, or similar type of salads would always be included. It pairs very well with many things, and brings some comforting spice to your table.
Let me know if you are preparing a Chinese or Asian themed buffet with this recipe. I always love seeing creations of others. Add @haricoco1 to your instagram post, so we can share, and inspire each other with our dishes.
📋 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Aubergine long, thin Japanese aubergines cut in 4 cm (1,5 inch) wedges
- 1 tbsp garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
- 1 tsp chille paste or use fresh chilli pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil or any other oil
- 11/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 11/2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup or use sugar instead
- 235 ml 1 cup water
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tsp of water.
- 2 spring onions scallions, chopped
- small bunch of coriander
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients; Chop ginger and garlic. Cut the aubergine wedges.
- Make the sauce by mixing the soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup and water.
- In a hot frying pan or wok, add oil and sauté the finely chopped ginger and garlic until fragrant. ( approx. 1 – 2 minutes)
- Add the chilli paste, or fresh chilli and stir for another minute.
- Stir in the sauce, and let it reduce to about half the amount.
- Add the aubergine wedges, turn the heat to medium, leave to cook until the aubergine is tender.
- Check the seasoning (add salt ,pepper if necessary)
- Stir in the cornstarch mixed with water, and let the sauce thicken.
- Take of the heat and sprinkle with chopped spring onions (scallions) and chopped coriander leaves, serve straight away.
Notes
Nutrition
This Spicy aubergine recipe is linked to my; ‘Travels of taste‘ series. In which we use our taste buds to travel the world. Meeting other cultures through food. Imagine yourself travelling through China whilst discovering all its flavours. Check out my full China ‘travels of taste’ post; >>> China, It’s all about FOOD!
