Chinese Healthy Cooking

Here’s another popular Sichuan dish, Eggplant with Garlic Sauce. Often time when you order this dish from restaurants, eggplant is deep fried. I make it in a healthy way by steaming the eggplants. I don’t think we sacrifice flavor while keeping it healthy. Garlic sauce is basically made of minced ginger, minced garlic, chopped scallions, and spicy bean paste. It is thickened with the mixture of light soy sauce, dark vinegar, sugar, corn starch, and water. Enjoy!

Eggplant with Garlic Sauce

3 eggplants, about 1 pound
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon spicy bean paste, chopped finely
2 tablespoons canola oil
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 cup water

1. After cutting eggplant into 2 inch pieces, soak in salted water to prevent eggplant from turning dark.
2. Mix the sauce ingredients well in a bowl.
2. Drain eggplants and steam for about 8 minutes. Remove from the steamer when it’s done.
3. Heat up oil in a pan to medium heat, and sauté ginger, garlic, white parts of scallions and spicy bean paste for about 1 minutes.
4. Add eggplants in and mix up. Add the sauce in, and cook about 1 minute. Add half of the scallions in.
5. Garnish with the remaining scallions. Serve.