By Hetty Lui McKinnon
- Total Time
- 20 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- 4(1,182)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The Shanghainese dish of seasoned and steamed eggplant is typically served cold, but this version can also be eaten warm or at room temperature. Steaming eggplant is a revelation — it brings out the vegetable’s gentle, earthy flavor and creates an astonishingly silky, light texture that soaks up sauces efficiently. Here, the eggplant is topped with an aromatic mix of garlic, ginger and scallions, which release their intoxicating fragrance when hot oil is poured over. Regular globe eggplant is fine, and long Japanese or Chinese eggplant works just as well (use the same weight). A steamer insert, bamboo steamer or stainless steel trivet is a smart investment that makes steaming in a wide, deep skillet simple, but you can also use stainless steel cookie cutters or balls of aluminum foil. Use tamari in place of soy sauce for an easy gluten-free substitution.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1¼pounds eggplant (1 large), base and stem trimmed
- 3tablespoons soy sauce
- 1tablespoon black vinegar (such as Chinkiang vinegar)
- 1tablespoon chile crisp or chile oil (preferably one that contains Sichuan peppercorns)
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 2scallions, trimmed, white and green parts finely sliced
- 1(1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
- 3tablespoons neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed
- Rice, to serve
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
176 calories; 14 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 663 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Set up a wide, deep skillet or wok with a steamer insert, bamboo steamer or stainless steel trivet (see Tip). Find a heatproof plate that fits into your cooking vessel. Add about 1 to 2 inches of water (making sure it won’t touch the bottom of the plate), cover with a lid (or sheet pan or aluminum foil) that fully encloses the steamer, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step
2
Meanwhile, slice the eggplant into ½-inch-thick circles, then slice each disk into ½-inch strips. Arrange the eggplant pieces on the heatproof plate, stacking them but leaving some gaps to allow the steam to reach all sides of the eggplant.
Step
See AlsoSavory Chinese Pumpkin Cake (family recipe)Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup (Video recipe) - Sandhya's KitchenChinese Yu Xiang Eggplant RecipeCurry Puff - Southeast Asian Recipes3
Carefully place the plate of eggplant into the steamer insert or bamboo steamer, or on top of the trivet. Cover and steam for 9 to12 minutes, until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork, but still firm enough to hold its shape. Carefully transfer the eggplant to a colander set in the sink to cool and drain.
Step
4
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, black vinegar, chile crisp and granulated sugar.
Step
5
When the eggplant is cool to the touch, transfer it to a shallow serving bowl or a rimmed plate. Pile the garlic, scallions and ginger in the center of the eggplant; don’t scatter.
Step
6
In a small pan, heat the oil on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes; the oil is hot enough if it bubbles when a wooden chopstick or spoon is inserted. Very carefully pour the hot oil over the ginger, garlic and scallions; it will sizzle and become very fragrant.
Step
7
Pour the soy sauce mixture over the eggplant. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold, with rice.
Tip
- If you don’t have a trivet, you can use stainless steel cookie cutters or roll up several balls of foil to rest the plate on. Skillet size can vary, but it should be large and deep enough to hold whichever steaming setup you use.
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out of 5
1,182
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Cooking Notes
perlious
My mother, who is from Ningbo, a few hours south of Shanghai, made a variation of this dish in a large bowl and steamed it in a wok. I suppose it was because steaming the eggplant produces a small bit of liquid from the eggplant that can be folded into the sauce that is added after steaming. You might lose that liquid if the eggplant is placed on a bamboo or metal steamer which have holes.The key ingredient in my mother's variation was sesami oil. It goes very well with eggplant.
Dona
why wouldn't you just put the eggplant pieces directly on the steamer insert/basket? why the plate?
Nora Miniutti
This steaming technique seems to be authentic. It wouldn’t hurt to watch Daddy Lau make Eggplant with Garlic Sauce on YouTube to see some tips about how the steaming part is done. Then follow the NYT recipe.
Vivian
Black vinegar substitute: 1 part balsamic, 1 part rice wine vinegar and 3 parts water.
Laura
Asked a Chinese chef friend about the steaming-on-a-plate setup: “the steam is really harsh if it’s just on the bamboo. sometimes you want a gentle hug of steam”
rebecca
I microwave the eggplant in a covered glass pan with a few TB water. You will have to judge your time according to your microwave. I used a setting for fresh veg. This worked quite well.
monica
Hi Ken, I’d pressure cook for 5 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes…then quick release. Hope that helps.
me
Internet recipes for similar-ish dishes instruct you to steam the eggplant in an Instant Pot for 5-6 minutes, followed by 5 minutes natural release, followed by a quick release.
KB
Normally I am willing to try anything Hetty McKinnon tells me to do in the kitchen, but I couldn't imagine the plate-in-steamer situation ending in anything but tears (not so much the steaming, but the removing). So I just dumped my eggplant on top of my silicone steamer thingy and I thought it turned out great--excellent texture. The rest I did by the book and it made a terrific vegetarian lunch paired with some spring rolls.
stephanie
the cookie cutter suggestion is not for cutting the eggplant, it's a homemade base for the plate to sit on in the pot - the cookie cutters (or balls of aluminum foil also suggested) hold the plate above the water. personally, what i do is add the water, then crimp heavy duty foil over the pot, pushing it down some so there's room to put the food of course. poke holes all over with a knife or skewer and presto, homemade recyclable steamer.
Clara
Don't shoot me; but you can also get a great result by microwaving the eggplant ... peel it and prepare it as per the recipe then put a small amount of water (couple of tablespoons) in the bottom of a bowl; add the eggplant; cover and cook for a couple minutes on high .....
Amy
Pro tip from my Chinese mom: you can just as easily steam the eggplant in the microwave as a time saver!
ESH
Good question, I don't really understand the set-up the chef has outlined.
Weslie
On a whim I tried this recipe and it was fabulous. Next time a few more chopped veggies, especially the ginger. The extra heat plate caused consternation and I’m wondering I’d I just put the eggplant on top of the steamer would it turn out as well? Served it with plain white rice.
Laura
I thought about the liquid released while steaming being important later, but then you drain it in a colander...
Emily
A “plate” made out of tinfoil worked for me. To remove it from the steamer at the end I used a fork to pull two opposite edges of the foil so they stuck out above the steamer edge, then plucked the whole thing out using oven mitts.
coffeespoon
You don't have to be too picky about how to steam the eggplant - I just pile the eggplant into a metal steamer insert that just rests on top of the saucepan (the kind where the lid rests on top of the steamer). 12 minutes is great!
susan
Steamed eggplant in the microwave, so easy! Subbed equal parts balsamic and Worcestershire for the black vinegar which worked in a pinch. Quite tasty!
GeoffDuke
Didn't have the black vinegar so subbed in one tablespoon of mushroom soy sauce instead of one of the 3 soy it calls for and then used Japanese sushi rice vinegar. And a little fresh cilantro to sub for a shortage of scallions (they were all in Ali Slagle's Stir-Friend Green Beans and Scallions dish that I served together with this one). Definitely a delicious outcome on both fronts.
Es
This dish didn't work for me. Squishy eggplant just didn't work for me. And the sauce was lacking something: sesame oil.
Simone
This is such a life-changing recipe. I never knew how to make eggplant so velvety and tender. I used the rim of a pop-out tart pan to hold up a large plate. Also I added some ground Sichuan peppercorns to the aromatics that were covered in hot oil for some extra tingles- yum!
Allison
This was amazing. Make sure to use full soy sauce - low sodium can't stand up in this.
Adam
I pan fried the eggplant instead and substituted rice wine vinegar for the black vinegar - simply because I had one and not the other. It was fantastic and I'll make it again, but seems to be calorie light. Served with jasmine rice, I calculated my mean was 290 calories, and I was full.
Therese M
This is an extraordinary dish. And comes together so quickly. One caution: I assumed the eggplant would get transparent as it cooked, and that's how I would know it was done. It does not. It stays quite white. Do poke with a fork, as she suggests; when it is done it becomes unfathomably soft and still miraculously holds it shape.
ML
How I met the steaming challenge: I set a glass Pyrex pot lid upside down in a cast iron skillet. The lid handle lifted the “plate” above the water and the eggplant was bathed in a gentle steam. Excellent dish! I don’t like to add sugar, so I subbed coconut aminos for half the soy sauce — plenty sweet!
Kathy B
Can this be steamed in an instant pot?
Jane
If don’t have a bamboo steamer but you have a wok and a cover for it, you can just place two chopsticks horizontally inside the wok above the water. A heatproof plate sits nicely on the chopsticks and the cover encloses the plate.
DMM
Balsamic + Worcestershire are a good sub for black vinegar
Nikki
I used a silicone trivet with handles atop a couple mason jar lids set in a pot. I filled it with water about half way up the trivet, brought to a boil, and then topped it with a cake pan in which I put the eggplant sticks. Covered and steamed for about 12 minutes. Turned out wonderfully. I loved the technique of pouring the hot oil on the garlic/ginger/green onions. It turned fragrant very quickly. Served on rice and poured the remaining sauce over it all.
ellen
The sauce is a greatMarinade for tofu as well!
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