Chinese-Style Sweet and Sour Eggplant
Fish or boiled rice pairs wonderfully with these eggplants. Enjoy your meal!
If you use ready-made spice mixes, always check the ingredient list - many already contain salt, so adjust the seasoning carefully to avoid oversalting.
Updated : 24 November, 2025
Easy
About 20 min.
Ingredients
500 grams
Eggplant
300 grams
Bell pepper
20 grams
Ginger
150 grams
Onion
30 grams
Tomato paste
50 milliliters
Soy sauce
2 tablespoon
Apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon
Sugar
4 tablespoon
Cornstarch
250 milliliters
Water
80 grams
Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon
Ground coriander
to taste
Garlic
to taste
Chili pepper
to taste
Salt
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make sweet and sour eggplants? Prepare all ingredients listed in the recipe. I used two types of onions: regular yellow and red salad onion.
Step 2
Peel the onions, garlic, and ginger. Rinse all vegetables in clean water and pat dry. Trim the stems off the eggplants. Cut bell peppers in half and remove seeds. Using peppers of different colors will make the dish brighter and more appetizing.
Step 3
Slice the bell peppers and onions into medium-thick strips.
Step 4
Slice the eggplants into sticks.
Step 5
Some eggplant varieties can be bitter. In that case, place the eggplant pieces into a bowl, add 1 tablespoon salt (without a heap), and mix. Leave for 15-20 minutes, then rinse and squeeze out excess water. Place the eggplant on paper towels and dry.
Step 6
Finely chop the garlic, hot chili, and ginger. Instead of fresh chili, you may use ground hot pepper.
Step 7
Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan or wok. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili. Stir-fry for 1-3 minutes, stirring constantly so nothing burns.
Step 8
Add the bell pepper and onion. Stir-fry over high heat for 4-5 minutes.
Step 9
Add tomato paste and sugar. Honey can be used instead of sugar. Add sugar gradually - 2 tablespoons may be too sweet for your taste. You can adjust sweetness at the end.
Step 10
Cook for about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and apple cider vinegar. Lemon juice also works well as a substitute. Add ground coriander and black pepper. Stir.
Step 11
Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a glass of cold water.
Step 12
Pour the starch mixture into the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and prepare the eggplants.
Step 13
Place the remaining 3 tablespoons of cornstarch into a plastic bag. Add the eggplant sticks, close the bag, and shake to coat evenly. Heat vegetable oil in a clean pan and fry the eggplants until golden on all sides.
Step 14
Transfer the fried eggplants to the pan with the sauce. Mix and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt to taste. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Taste again and adjust with salt, sugar, or vinegar as needed.
Step 15
The eggplants are ready. Garnish with fresh herbs or thin slices of red onion if desired. Enjoy!
Author note
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