Steamed Eggplant with Chili Garlic Dressing

I am a huge fan of eggplant (aubergine). Are you? Today’s recipe, Steamed Eggplant with Chili Garlic Dressing (蒜泥蒸茄子), shows you the simplest way to cook this vegetable. The eggplant is cooked to a perfectly creamy texture in just a few minutes, then topped with a mouthwatering sauce made with fresh aromatics and simple condiments. It’s such a healthy and refreshing dish, especially for summer meals!

Which type of eggplant

I’ve tried two types of eggplant for this recipe and both worked well. One is Chinese eggplants (What I use for Di San Xian Stir-Fry) which are long, thin, and have a vibrant purple color. The other is globe eggplants (aka American eggplants) which are round, elongated, and have a dark purple color.

Although I prefer Chinese eggplants for their thinner skin and more color-striking appearance, I use globe eggplants more often as they are more accessible (no trips to Chinese grocery stores required) and the taste difference can be negligible.

Tip: What makes the real difference in taste is the quality of the eggplants. Choose the young ones with white flesh and few visible seeds and avoid the overripe ones with off-white flesh and many brown seeds. It is difficult to assess their quality until you cut them open, similar to the challenge of selecting watermelons. As a general guideline, pick eggplants that are heavy, firm, have smooth skin, and fresh-looking stems.

How to cut eggplant

Wash the eggplants then trim off the stems. Do not peel off the skin as it’s a great source of fiber and its purple color makes the dish visually appealing.

When shooting this recipe, I cut the eggplants into roll-cut shapes (left in the image above) known as Gǔn Dāo Kuài/滚刀块 in Chinese cuisine, like how I prepare them for Eggplant with Plum Sauce. Alternatively, cut them into thick sticks (right in the image above), the same shape I used in the recipe for Sichuan Garlic Sauce Eggplant.

Tip: Another popular way to prepare eggplants for steaming is to cut them in halves or quarters. Steam them and then tear them into strips with your hands. The irregular shape creates more surface area for the dressing to adhere to, resulting in a more flavorful dish. If you have more time, give this method a try.

Soak the eggplant or not

When working with eggplants, have you ever experienced these problems: the white flesh turns brown and the purple skin loses its vibrant color? Although these are purely aesthetic issues that do not affect the flavor of a dish, it is still worthwhile to try to avoid them.

Choose one of the two simple ways to avoid the problems:

• The fast-action method: Without delay, put the eggplant pieces into the steamer (in which the water is already boiling), right after cutting.
• The soaking method: If, for any reason, you can’t steam them immediately, soak the cut pieces in 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of any light-colored vinegar or lemon/lime juice.

The steaming proces

Bring the water in the steamer to a full boil. Put the eggplant on a serving plate then place it into the steamer.

Cover with a lid and leave to steam over high heat for about 6 minutes (reduce to 5 minutes if the eggplants are cut into sticks). Be careful not to overcook as this will make them too soft to handle and the purple color of the skin will fade.

After steaming, you may see some water accumulated on the plate. It’s not necessary to discard it as it’ll help to thin the chili garlic dressing that we’re going to talk about in the next section.

Tip: Steamer set-up options

• A regular steamer (made of bamboo, metal, or plastic) with steamer baskets, and a lid
• A wok/pot, a steamer rack over which you can place a plate, and a lid
• A wok/pot, a small bowl that sits in the middle to pop up a plate, and a lid

The chili garlic dressing

This steamed eggplant dish is seasoned with aromatics such as fresh chili pepper, garlic, scallions, and cilantro, as well as a few essential Chinese condiments like light soy sauce, oyster sauce, black rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a little sugar.

Simply mix all the above ingredients in a small bowl. Then pour it all over the steamed eggplant. Give it a taste and adjust if necessary.

I find this dressing to have a complex, exciting, and balanced flavor. It is also a forgiving sauce, as you are free to alter the quantity of each ingredient to suit your taste. For example, increase or decrease the amount of fresh chili, omit cilantro if you do not like it, use more vinegar for a tangier kick, or add a dash ofChinese chili oilto make it spicier.

Tip:To create a better mouthfeel and an even distribution of flavor, garlic, a key flavor component in the recipe, is best mashed into a soft, sticky paste rather than minced into small pieces as is common in stir-fried dishes likeEgg Fried Rice,Garlic Bok Choy, etc. You can do this by either crushing garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle or grating them with a fine grater, such as a Microplane.

Serve it hot or cold

This steamed eggplant dish is delicious hot, cold, or at room temperature. The heat of the vegetable enhances the aroma of the aromatics, while the chilled version is refreshing and the garlicky and tangy flavors are more pronounced.

You can eat this dish over plain steamed rice or toss it with noodles (I particularly like it with cold noodles). When serving it as part of a multi-course meal, pair it with protein-rich dishes like Soy Sauce Chicken, etc., and a healthy soup like Tomato Egg Drop Soup if you have extra time to cook.

Steamed Eggplant with Chili Garlic Dressing