Steamed Eggplant Hunan Style

If you’re a fan of eggplant and looking for new and exciting ways to enjoy it, try making steamed eggplant Hunan style. This spicy and flavorful dish is sure to please your taste buds.

Hunan Steamed Eggplant is best made with Chinese or Japanese purple eggplants. They soften quickly in the microwave, retain their shape after cooking, and are excellent vehicles for a spicy dressing of Hunan origin.

In addition, there are no animal products in this Hunan Steamed Eggplant dish. This steamed eggplant is delicious when served with lots of white rice, as I discovered while testing this recipe.

I tried a few different methods before settling on this steamed eggplant recipe; I hope you all enjoy it!

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 medium Chinese or Japanese eggplants
• 1 chopped small Thai bird chili
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of chili oil
• 1 finely chopped scallion
• 1 tablespoon of sesame paste
• 1 tablespoon of rinsed and drained fermented black beans
• 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped long hot green peppers
• ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of minced ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Japanese or Chinese eggplants should be cut into 3-inch pieces, then halved lengthwise. Place a steamer on a plate that can withstand high temperatures.
2. Get a large, covered pan or wok ready for steaming.
3. To soften the eggplant, steam it for 10 minutes. The eggplant can either stay where it is or be moved to a separate serving platter. Transfer the steamed eggplant to a serving plate, along with any collected liquid, if desired.
4. Toss the fresh ginger and sesame seeds into the hot oil in a wok or large saucepan.
5. Twenty to twenty-five seconds later, mix in the hot chili oil, sesame paste, soy sauce, salt, and sugar.
6. Take the sauce off the heat once it reaches a simmer, and add the black beans, half of the scallions, and the finely chopped peppers. Only those with a high tolerance for heat should add Thai chili, as the dish will already have a noticeable level of heat without it.
7. When ready to serve, drizzle the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with the remaining scallions.