This mashed eggplant is pretty common at restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley in recent years as the Chinese food of different regions in China has become popularized in recent years. However, I had a really hard time finding recipes online when I started researching the recipe!
Here's my easy peasy eggplant recipe. It looks great in a mortar and pestle and is super fun to smash but you can just serve it in a regular bowl and smash it with a spoon, the result will be just as delicious!
First, grab two Chinese or Japanese eggplants. You can use one American eggplant but the taste will be different, still good!
Prick the eggplants a couple times with a fork so that air can be released and wrap each eggplant up in foil.
Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes.
They will come out looking yucky and brown, but they will be meltingly soft and delicious! Let the eggplants cool down and then then trim the ends and peel the eggplants.
Next chop the eggplant up in to pieces and place in your mortar and pestle, or place them in a bowl and mash with a spoon.
Add in the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and a pinch of salt. Mix well
Chop up the thai chilis (or you can roast them alongside the eggplant for extra flavor) and mix them in. If you don't have thai chilis on hand, any chilis that you prefer work!
Top off with cilantro, serve warm or as a cold appetizer!
Roasted Chinese Eggplant Recipe from Yunnan, China
Ingredients
- 2 medium Asian eggplants (Japanese or Chinese)
- 3 thai chilis
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp black vinegar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
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Wash your eggplants and dry. Prick holes into each eggplant about 3-4 times. Wrap each eggplant in foil
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Stick them in the over for 30-40 minutes
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After roasting, let the eggplants cool down and then peel off the skin and trim off the ends.
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Cut the eggplants into chunks of any size
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Place the eggplant in the mortar and pestle bowl, or you can just place it into a medium sized bowl
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Add the chopped chilis, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Using the pestle or a spoon, and mash the eggplant, while combining the ingredients.
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Top with cilantro and serve as a cold appetizer
