This recipe is inspired by the spicy and garlicky stir-fried eggplant dish you may have enjoyed at Chinese eateries. It’s so easy to make at home, embellished with colorful bell peppers.
Sometimes called eggplant in garlic sauce, and sometimes Szechuan eggplant, whatever you call it, this is a simple and delicious dish. Feel free to add garlic and spice to your taste.
What to serve with Stir-Fried Eggplant and Peppers
Serve with a platter of cherry or grape tomatoes and sliced cucumbers with this dish. Some simply stir-fried tofu, tempeh, or seitan will add protein to the plate.
Simple Stir-Fried Tofu with Sweet and Savory Flavors or Sweet and Savory Tempeh Strips will do the trick; or you can slice up some baked tofu right out of the package to keep it super easy with no additional work.
For extra fun, add some vegetable spring rolls or dumplings from your supermarket or natural foods store frozen section.
Ingredients for stir-fried eggplant and peppers
- Neutral high-heat oil
- Dark sesame oil
- Fresh garlic
- Japanese eggplants (2 long) or 1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound total)
- Bell peppers, any color, 2 medium
- Dry white or red wine, or cooking sherry
- Hoisin sauce
- Ginger, fresh or bottled
- Soy sauce or tamari
- Scallions
- Sriracha, dried red pepper flakes, or other hot seasoning
- Rice or noodles for serving
- Fresh hot chili peppers (optional)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Variations to the recipe
- Vary the dish by using celery or bok choy instead of (or in addition to) bell peppers.
- This is also great served over noodles (rice noodles, soba, udon, bean-thread) in place of rice.
Explore more …
- Korean-Inspired Spicy Eggplant
- Delicious Global Eggplant Recipes
- Asian-Style Spicy and Garlicky Eggplant Stir-Fry
- Spicy Eggplant and Tofu in Garlic Sauce
Spicy Stir-Fried Eggplant and Peppers
This recipe is inspired by the spicy and garlicky stir-fried eggplant dish you may have enjoyed at Chinese eateries. It's so easy to make at home, embellished with colorful bell peppers.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral high-heat oil
- 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced, or more, to taste
- 2 long Japanese eggplants, or 1 medium eggplant, about 1 pound total
- 2 medium bell peppers, any color, cut into short narrow strips
- 1/4 cup dry white or red wine, or cooking sherry
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh or squeeze-bottle ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
- 2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garish
- Sriracha, dried red pepper flakes, or other hot seasoning, to taste
- Hot cooked rice or noodles for serving
- Seeded and sliced fresh hot chili peppers for garnish, optional
- Sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a stir-fry pan. Add the garlic and sauté over medium-low heat until golden.
- Cut the Japanese eggplants into 1/4-inch thick slices. Or, if using regular eggplant, quarter lengthwise, then into 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Add the eggplant and bell peppers to the pan, followed by the wine, hoisin sauce, ginger, and soy sauce. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the eggplant is nearly tender. Lift the lid once or twice during that time to stir.
- Stir-fry, uncovered, for 5 minutes longer, or until the eggplant is just tender.
- Season to taste with soy sauce and spicy seasoning.
- Serve at once with hot cooked rice or noodles with either or both of the optional garnishes.
See more easy plant-forward vegan stir-fries.
We made this tonight and it came out fabulous. I don’t love hoisin sauce so we did half hoisin and half oyster sauce! Also added like 8 cloves of garlic (because why not?!). Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it, and it’s always great to add your own touches to a recipe.
We made this and it was surprisingly good! I did a mixture of 3/4 oyster sauce and 1/4 hoison sauce because that is what I had on hand. I substituted red wine for cooking wine and sprinkled on some peanuts and red pepper flakes. My significant other was super impressed. I would make this again. Served with vermicelli rice noodles.
Thank you, Nicoole! Glad you enjoyed it.