Eggplant in sweet and sour sauce Chinese cuisine. Chinese style eggplant

This recipe is great for Chinese food lovers. To prepare this masterpiece, you don’t need expensive ingredients or exquisite seasonings, because the basis of this dish is eggplant. Everyone can cook this dish. All you need is a little time and desire! But you have to believe that it's worth it. The sweet and sour sauce brightly highlights the spicy taste of eggplant and sweet pepper.

To create this culinary miracle you need to prepare:

  • 2 eggplants,
  • 1 bell pepper,
  • sugar 2-3 tablespoons,
  • starch 2-3 tablespoons,
  • soy sauce 2-3 tablespoons,
  • wine vinegar 3 tablespoons,
  • dried ginger - half a teaspoon,
  • salt,
  • pepper.
  • vegetable oil.

Read also

First stage The preparation is based on washing and cutting the eggplants. The stalk must be removed from each eggplant. Eggplants must be cut into cubes, 0.5 cm thick. All cubes must be the same thickness.

This will help the vegetable cook evenly and at the same time. Cut the eggplants with salt and let them stand for 20 minutes. During this time, all the unpleasant bitterness will go away, and only a pleasant, delicate taste will remain.

For this recipe, you need to try hard to remove all the excess moisture from the vegetables. Internal moisture can be removed with paper towels. After this stage, the eggplants need to be sprinkled with starch. It will perfectly absorb the residual juice.

Second phase consists of frying eggplants. They need to be stirred frequently because the starch makes them tend to stick to the pan. When they acquire a golden crust, they must be removed from the pan and poured into another bowl.

Third stage is based on roasting bell peppers. It also needs to be cut into cubes. 2-3 minutes will be enough for the peppers to fry. Next, you can add pepper to the eggplants.

At the fourth stage When preparing, you need to take care of the sweet and sour sauce. Pour 200 ml of boiled water, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and dried ginger into the bowl with eggplants and peppers. This whole mixture should boil for about 5 minutes, after which garlic is added to it.

The richness and pungency of taste can be adjusted. Therefore, this ratio of ingredients is basic, but it can be changed to taste!

Advice. This dish cannot be boiled for a long time, because the vegetables may simply turn into mush. Pepper should generally be half-raw.

A simple recipe will allow you to prepare a spicy and rare appetizer on our table. Eggplants in sweet and sour sauce resemble miniature logs, intricately laid out on a snack platter and decorated with parsley sprigs. Each eggplant block is coated like a shiny glaze with a bright spicy sauce. Starch gives it thickness and delicious viscosity.

The prepared gravy must be heated well to release the aroma of the spices, but under no circumstances should it boil. Otherwise, the vinegar will lose the pungency for which it is so valued.

The appetizer is served chilled, complete with a steamed glass of vodka.

Ingredients

  • eggplant 1 pc. (280-300 g)
  • salt 1 tbsp. l.
  • water 1 l
  • starch 2-3 tbsp. l.
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • sweet pepper 2 pcs.
  • soy sauce 3 tbsp. l.
  • vegetable oil 2 tbsp. l.
  • teriyaki sauce 1 tbsp. l.
  • balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp. l.
  • tomato sauce 3-4 tbsp. l.
  • sugar 0.5 tbsp. l.
  • garlic 2-3 cloves
  • starch 2 tbsp. l.
  • water 300-400 ml

Preparation

1. Wash the eggplant. Cut off the tails on both sides. Cut into cubes. Transfer to a deep bowl. Dissolve a spoonful of salt in a liter of water and pour the salt solution over the eggplants. Leave for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce. Wash and dry the sweet peppers. Remove seeds. Cut into medium pieces. Finely chop the peeled garlic.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan. Place chopped bell peppers into hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes over high heat, stirring with a wooden spatula.

4. Reduce the heat and add tomato and soy sauce, teriyaki, sugar, and balsamic vinegar to the pepper. Stir and heat over heat for 2-3 minutes.

5. Dissolve starch in water. Add starch solution and chopped garlic to the pan. Stir and let it boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes over low heat. Taste the sauce and, if necessary, adjust to the desired result.

6. Remove the eggplants from the water onto a layer of napkins and dry on all sides.

7. Bread each piece in starch.

Second courses for every day

Fans of Chinese cuisine will certainly appreciate our version of cooking eggplant in sweet and sour sauce. Let's look at the step-by-step recipe.

40 min

110 kcal

3.67/5 (3)

Recipe for cooking eggplant in Chinese sweet and sour sauce

Kitchenware

  • A well-sharpened knife and cutting board for cutting food.
  • Several containers for chopped ingredients, as well as for preparing sauce.
  • Deep frying pan with ceramic coating.
  • A flat dish for serving eggplants on the table.

We will need

For the test:

For the sauce:

Step-by-step instruction

Food preparation

  1. Peel fresh ginger and grate it on a very fine grater.
  2. Cut green onions and garlic cloves into thin rings.
  3. Then remove the seeds from the hot red pepper and finely chop it.
  4. Now let’s take care of the eggplants: wash them thoroughly and cut them into equal pieces.
  5. Then place the eggplants in a heated frying pan and fry over high heat in a small amount of vegetable oil.
  6. Fry for about 6-8 minutes until golden brown and noticeably soft. Next, transfer them to another bowl or paper towels to drain off excess oil.
  7. Pour soy sauce into a separate container, add vinegar, granulated sugar and mix everything thoroughly.

The final stage


Did you know? Sweet and sour eggplants become the most delicious the next day after cooking. It is important to remember that they must be served cold.

Chinese eggplant recipe video

To satisfy those who are used to receiving information visually, I have prepared a video with detailed step-by-step instructions the above recipe. After watching it, you can form your own opinion about the appearance of this dish and the ease of its preparation. Enjoy watching!

  1. To prepare eggplant in sweet and sour sauce, it is best to use wok pan– this way the food will not burn and will be well fried.
  2. Eggplants can be cut into pieces any shape according to your wishes: stripes, triangles, cubes. However, their width should not be less than 1 cm, otherwise the eggplant will lose its taste.
  3. Brown sugar is fine replace the same amount of regular granulated sugar or honey.

Recipe for preparing eggplants in sweet and sour sauce for the winter

  • Cooking time: 45-50 minutes.
  • Number of servings: approximately 8-10 half-liter jars.

Kitchenware

  • We will need a sharp knife with a cutting board to cut the ingredients.
  • Blender for beating tomatoes.
  • Garlic press for squeezing garlic.
  • A deep, large frying pan or saucepan for cooking food.
  • Sterile jars and lids for canning eggplants.

We will need

Step-by-step instruction

Food preparation


Cooking


What to serve with

  • Of course, cooked eggplants in Chinese, fit perfectly with rice cereal. However, no one will stop you from submitting them with mashed potatoes or lay it on top vermicelli spaghetti.
  • Also, eggplants prepared according to this recipe are perfect as a snack for any alcoholic beverages.

Possible other preparation and filling options

  • To prepare eggplants, you can use the classic universal Japanese one; it goes perfectly with almost all dishes - fish, meat, mushroom or vegetable.
  • For those who like to experiment, I advise you to take a risk and serve Georgian eggplant, which is known for its sour, inimitable taste. I also highly recommend trying this very unusual, but amazingly tasty one.
  • Quite non-standard, but very tasty, it goes well with eggplants, giving them a unique, special taste. In addition, it can be used as an independent seasoning for the dishes described above.

Video recipe for canning eggplant

In the summer, when there is an abundance of various vegetables and fruits, it is time to prepare for winter. I present to your attention a video with step-by-step cooking instructions. canned eggplants VKontakte

Or you just want to make something new with summer vegetables, then eggplant in sweet and sour sauce is a great choice. The dish can be served as a side dish, or it can be served as it is done in China itself - with boiled unleavened rice. The combination of flavors will pleasantly surprise you.

How to make sweet and sour sauce correctly

You will need:

  • several medium-sized eggplants;
  • multi-colored bell peppers - take half of red, green and yellow;
  • onion;
  • a couple of cloves of garlic and a small piece of fresh ginger root.

For the sauce, prepare the following ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp. l. good quality soy sauce;
  • 2 tbsp. l. vinegar 9% (if you have 6%, then add 3 tablespoons);
  • 2 tbsp. l. granulated sugar;
  • a little starch - a teaspoon or a little less.

To do this, you need to have a deep wok; if you don’t have one, a low saucepan or, at worst, a regular frying pan will do. Wash the eggplants, cut into pieces (no need to remove the peel), add salt and leave to sit for half an hour - they will give juice, which needs to be drained, and rinse the vegetables again and dry with a towel. Cut the pepper into long slices, the onion into half rings, and finely chop the ginger and garlic. In a frying pan with very hot vegetable oil, first quickly fry the eggplants, then after 2-3 minutes add the onion and ginger, and lastly - Prepare the sauce: to do this, mix the indicated ingredients in a bowl, add half a glass of water to them. Pour it over the vegetables, stir and leave to simmer over low heat for a quarter of an hour or a little more. After this time, the eggplants with the sauce will be ready, they can be sprinkled with fried sesame seeds for taste and decoration and served to the table - either with meat, or, what is most delicious, with unleavened rice. Fans of Chinese cuisine and those for whom it is new will definitely appreciate this dish.

Potatoes and eggplants in sweet and sour sauce

The previous recipe can be improved a little - both the sauce and the main ingredients, and prepare a truly tasty dish. Take:

  • 2 medium ripe eggplants;
  • 1 bright bell pepper;
  • several medium-sized potatoes;
  • garlic and spices to taste.

For the sauce prepare:

  • 2 tbsp. l. honey and soy sauce;
  • 1 tbsp. l. apple or rice vinegar;
  • 1 glass of water and 1 tbsp. l. starch.

Cut the eggplants into small slices, add salt and let stand for about 20-30 minutes. Cut the pepper into long strips. Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes. Heat a wok or frying pan and quickly fry the vegetables in boiling vegetable oil. For the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour over the eggplants. Then simmer the potatoes and eggplants in sweet and sour sauce for a quarter of an hour. The sourness of natural vinegar and the sweetness of fresh honey will give the dish an unusual taste. Can be served with unleavened rice or Chinese noodles. This is how you can quickly and easily prepare one of the magnificent dishes of oriental cuisine.

The Chinese cook meat, fish and vegetables, such as eggplant, with sweet and sour sauces. No matter what they say, we Europeans will never know the exact proportions of the sauce ingredients - we have to go to China for that. The composition is a little clearer, it’s simple: fruit juice (usually pineapple), ginger root, soy sauce, rice vinegar, tomato paste, honey and garlic. But the composition is variable, especially when it comes to European soil. Depending on what dish we are preparing for and what we have on hand, there will be a sauce.

Ingredients of my sweet and sour sauce for eggplant

Today I'm frying eggplants - Sweet and sour sauce suits them amazingly! Soy sauce will be responsible for the “sour” component (it is both salty and slightly sour), and honey will be responsible for the “sweet” component. I will definitely include fresh grated ginger, hot pepper rings, garlic and a couple of tablespoons of wine vinegar in the sauce. I thicken the vinegar with starch. And to the eggplants I’ll add red sweet peppers - a frequent “companion” of blue ones.

On a note:

  1. Pay attention to the cutting - I made it “Chinese”, in cubes and strips - this is how meat is cut, for example, chicken or pork.
  2. Eggplants in sweet and sour sauce are fried very quickly, in a matter of minutes, usually in a wok. However, my simple frying pan coped with the task perfectly.
  3. Don't salt the dish! Soy sauce is quite salty on its own.

Ingredients

  • eggplants 300 g
  • bell pepper 150 g
  • soy sauce 80 ml
  • garlic 20 g
  • fresh ginger 15 g
  • starch 1 tsp.
  • honey 30 g
  • wine vinegar 1.5-2 tbsp. l.
  • white sesame 1 tbsp. l.
  • hot pepper to taste

How to cook eggplant in sweet and sour sauce


  1. Let's start by preparing the sauce. Pour soy sauce into a suitable container. I add honey. Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the honey dissolves completely in the soy sauce.

  2. Peel fresh ginger and chop it on a fine grater. I add it to the soy sauce and mix it.

  3. I prepare the garlic: I peel it, put it through a garlic press, add it to the ingredients of the sauce, and mix again. Actually, the only trouble is in stirring - pay attention to it so that the sauce turns out homogeneous.

  4. I pour wine vinegar. I'm sending you fresh hot pepper rings. I like it “hot”, but you do it at your own discretion. I add a spoonful of starch. Actually, that's all: the sweet and sour sauce is ready. It's time to move on to the eggplants.

  5. I always choose eggplants with dense flesh. I wash it, cut off the tails on both sides, remove the skin (on my late eggplants it is already rough, but on young ones it is not necessary to remove it). I cut into cubes 8-10 cm long. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. Fry the eggplants over high heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. If the eggplants have absorbed the oil, add a little more oil.

  6. I cut the washed and cleaned bell peppers into strips and add them to the eggplants in the frying pan. I fry them together over the same high heat for about 5 minutes. The vegetables should become a little soft, but not lose their shape.

  7. I pour the sweet and sour sauce into the pan with the vegetables and stir. Cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula. During this time, the sauce will soak the vegetables and thicken. I turn off the fire.

  8. I sprinkle the eggplants with bell peppers with fried sesame seeds and serve.