Welcome to the 20-minute dinner series, where I make easy 20-minute recipes for 23 days!
Today we are making Restaurant Styled Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce. My Secret Garlicy and savory sauce drizzled all over perfectly steamed eggplant; get your rice ready because you will be eating bowls and bowls of rice.
Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce is not only healthy but also incredibly delicious. If you have never tried Chinese Eggplant, this is a sign to be blown away!
I will be honest; I am not a fan of eggplant; it is my most disliked vegetable.
However, after trying steamed eggplant with my secret garlic sauce, I am obsessed with this dish and make it every week!
Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce is perfect for those that don’t like eggplant but want to get more vegetables in their diet in 2021. Trust me; if I love it, you will love it too!
The secret for keeping the purple in eggplants is soaking it in vinegar for 5 minutes.
This step is optional as it doesn’t affect the taste, but if you are serving guests, soak the eggplant in 6 cups of water and 3 tbsp of vinegar for 5 minutes, and the eggplant will stay nice and purple even after steaming.

Do you want more 20-minute recipes? Here are some of my go-to recipes!
- Honey Garlic Chicken (20 Minutes!)
- Air Fryer Crispy Garlic Tofu (20 Minutes!)
- Spicy Noodle Soup (10 Minutes!)
- Sizzling Pork Belly Plate – 20-Minute Dinner
Ingredients (Serves 2-4)
- 3 Chinese Eggplant
- 7 cloves of Garlic minced
- 2 stocks of Green Onion chopped
- 2 chopped Red Chili (optional)
- 2 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp of Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Black Vinegar
- 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp of Sesame Seeds
- 4 tbsp of Oil
- Cut the ends of the eggplant off and cut the eggplant in half. Slice the eggplant in half again and cut it into 2-inch pieces.
- Place the eggplant skin side facing down in a bowl and steam for 5-7 minutes.
- In a bowl, add vegetarian oyster sauce, soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, minced garlic, chopped red chili, and the white parts of the green onion.
- Heat 4 tbsp of oil, and once the oil is hot, pour it over the sauces and mix.
- Once the eggplant is ready, transfer it onto a new plate. Pour garlic sauce all over the eggplant and garnish with green onion.
Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce
Materials
- 3 Chinese Eggplant
- 7 cloves of Garlic minced
- 2 stocks of Green Onion chopped
- 2 chopped Red Chili optional
- 2 tbsp of Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp of Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Black Vinegar
- 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp of Sesame Seeds
- 4 tbsp of Oil
Instructions
- Cut the ends of the eggplant off and cut the eggplant in half. Slice the eggplant in half again and cut into 2-inch pieces
- Place the eggplant skin side facing down in a bowl and steam for 5-7 minutes.
- In a bowl, add vegetarian oyster sauce, soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, minced garlic, chopped red chili, and the white parts of the green onion.
- Heat 4 tbsp of oil, and once the oil is hot, pour it over the sauces and mix.
- Once the eggplant is ready, transfer it onto a new plate. Pour garlic sauce all over the eggplant and garnish with green onion.
Love this recipe so much, I’ve made it three times in two weeks. What’s the best way to store leftovers? sauce and eggplant separately?