I love eggplant, but Tony isn’t a big fan. Fortunately, I can usually win him over with Chinese-inspired recipes, like this Eggplant in Garlic Sauce. It boasts bolder flavors that compliment the eggplant. This is also a healthier recipe than most since it’s oil free! I originally shared this recipe over 15 years ago (time flies!), and am giving it a big update today.
Eggplant in Garlic Sauce that’s Plant-Based and Oil-Free
Eggplant typically soaks up oil like a sponge, which is why many eggplant dishes can taste oily. But this is a weeknight version that uses no oil at all. Simmering the eggplant in water helps to soften it before adding the other sauces.
If you do like a seared flavor, you can quickly sear the eggplant in a little oil (about 2 teaspoons) over high heat, and then continue with the method below.
When I first started making this dish, the grocers in my small town didn’t offer Chinese eggplant. So we used the regular Italian-style globe eggplants. But you can use Chinese or Japanese eggplant, if preferred. They typically require less cooking time.
Special Diet Notes: Eggplant in Garlic Sauce
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
Eggplant In Garlic Sauce (Oil-Free)
Ingredients
Method
- Bring 1/4-inch of water to a boil in a wide frying pan. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, until the eggplant is softened and very little water remains, about 7 minutes.
- Remove the eggplant to a bowl. Heat another 1/4-inch of water in the pan. Add the garlic, ginger and hoisin sauce. Simmer briskly for 10 minutes, stirring and adding more water as needed.
- Add the soy sauce and green onions to the pan, then add the cooked eggplant, with a little more water if needed. Cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring to coat the eggplant with the sauce.
- Serve hot or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!More Plant-Based Eggplant Recipes
Eggplant Paprikash
Vegan Barbacoa
Eggplant Caponata
10 Comments
Worked great. Different texture than oily eggplant at restaurants, but still great. Made sure to simmer it a bit with the sauce for better infusion and it was delicious.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback JC.
Love it! I really like eggplant, but it sucks up so much oil! I let it simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes and it came out very tender and delicious. Thank you!!!
So glad you enjoyed it Jenn! Thank you for the feedback.
I love eggplant but this one is not good. The water method just didn’t cook it well. I think it needs some oil. Loved the sauce, but will next time cut the eggplant pieces smaller and cook in a little oil.
I’m so sorry it wasn’t to your liking Sunny! The water method does yield less greasy eggplant, so it is different in texture. If you want to use just a little oil, I would use it at the end, pan frying a little after the eggplant is already tender. If you add at the beginning, it will soak up the oil immediately and quickly stick to the pan. Adding water at that stage would yield the same results.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It tasted amazing!! I’ve added some soba noodles to it.
It also worked really well for me because due to a medical condition I can’t eat fat for the time being.
I love the idea of eating it with soba noodles! Thank you for the feedback Nathalie.
I tried this, but the measurements are truly off because I didn’t know how much water was too much or too little.
You add about 1/4 inch to your pan and cook it down. If it dries up, you add a little more. The water should be mostly gone and the eggplant tender, when finished. The amount of water needed can vary by eggplant, humidity, stove, etc. It isn’t as exact as when using oil, since much of the water steams off (there is no loss when using oil). If you end up with too much water and your eggplant is done, you can drain it or simply use it for your sauce.