{"slug":"fish-fragrant-eggplant-vegetarian","collection":"michael","is_recipe":true,"visibility":"public","title":"Fish-Fragrant Eggplant — Vegetarian (鱼香茄子)","description":"A vegetarian adaptation of the Sichuan classic. Blistered eggplant and finely diced mushrooms in a spicy, tangy, sweet doubanjiang sauce.","body_md":"\n*Adapted from Bill (The Woks of Life). Vegetarian modifications: vegetable stock, vegetarian oyster sauce, no fish sauce, diced mushrooms in place of ground pork.*\n\n## Ingredients\n\n### Sauce\n\n- 120ml (½ cup) vegetable stock\n- 16g (1 tbsp) spicy bean sauce (la doubanjiang 辣豆瓣酱) — the backbone of the dish\n- 1 tbsp soy sauce\n- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry)\n- 2 tsp sugar\n- 2 tsp vegetarian oyster sauce (mushroom-based)\n- 1 tsp sesame oil\n- 1 tsp rice vinegar\n- ⅛ tsp white pepper\n\n### Stir-Fry\n\n- 4 medium Japanese eggplants (approximately 565–680g / 1.25–1.5 lbs), cut into triangular pieces\n- 3–4 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado), divided\n- 115g (4 oz) shiitake or king oyster mushrooms, very finely diced (3–4mm pieces)\n- ½ tsp fresh ginger, minced\n- 10 dried chilli peppers, adjust to heat preference\n- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped\n- 2 scallions, cut on a sharp angle into 5cm (2 inch) pieces — white and green parts separated\n- 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water (slurry)\n\n## Instructions\n\n1. **Mix the sauce.** Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.\n2. **Prep the eggplant.** Trim the ends and cut into equal-sized triangular pieces.\n3. **Blister the eggplant.** Heat wok over medium-high until hot. Add 1 tbsp oil and coat the wok. Add eggplant in a single layer and sear until browned on all sides, 7–10 minutes total. Add a little oil around the perimeter if it looks dry, or a splash of Shaoxing wine or water to help it along. Cook until tender. Set aside on a plate.\n4. **Brown the mushrooms.** Increase heat to high until the wok just begins to smoke. Add 1 tbsp oil and the diced mushrooms. Cook with minimal stirring until they release their moisture and begin to brown and crisp, about 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside.\n5. **Toast the aromatics.** Reduce to medium heat. Add remaining oil, ginger, and dried chillies. Stir frequently for 1 minute until the chillies are toasted and fragrant.\n6. **Bring it together.** Increase to high heat. Add garlic, white scallion parts, and browned mushrooms. Stir briefly, then add the seared eggplant and the pre-mixed sauce. Stir gently and cook for 1–2 minutes until the sauce comes to a simmer.\n7. **Thicken and finish.** Stir the cornstarch slurry and add about half to the sauce. Stir until thickened. Add the green scallion parts. Adjust consistency — more slurry if too thin, a splash of water if too thick. Serve immediately over steamed rice.\n\n\u003e **Don't skip the eggplant blister.** Steamed or underdone eggplant turns watery and collapses the sauce. You want it silky and collapsed, but with colour on it first.\n\u003e\n\u003e **Mushroom browning requires patience.** Resist stirring constantly — let the mushrooms sit against the hot wok surface to caramelise rather than steam. This is what gives them a meaty quality.\n\u003e\n\u003e **Scaling:** If your eggplants are particularly large, scale the sauce by 1.5× to compensate.\n\n\u003e\n\u003e **Vegetarian modifications from the source recipe:** vegetable stock in place of chicken, vegetarian oyster sauce, no fish sauce, and diced mushrooms standing in for the ground pork.\n","draft":false,"servings":"4","prep_time":"20 minutes","cook_time":"20 minutes","total_time":"40 minutes","source_name":"The Woks of Life","created_at":"2026-03-24T05:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-30T01:32:52.845415Z","categories":["Main"],"tags":["Chinese","Eggplant","Mushroom","Sichuan","Spicy","Stir-Fry","Vegan","Wok"],"methods":["Stove-Top"],"themes":["Vegan"],"ingredients":[{"section":"Sauce","items":["- 120ml (½ cup) vegetable stock","- 16g (1 tbsp) spicy bean sauce (la doubanjiang 辣豆瓣酱) — the backbone of the dish","- 1 tbsp soy sauce","- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry)","- 2 tsp sugar","- 2 tsp vegetarian oyster sauce (mushroom-based)","- 1 tsp sesame oil","- 1 tsp rice vinegar","- ⅛ tsp white pepper"],"parsed":[{"raw":"- 120ml (½ cup) vegetable stock","qty":120,"unit":"ml","item":"vegetable stock"},{"raw":"- 16g (1 tbsp) spicy bean sauce (la doubanjiang 辣豆瓣酱) — the backbone of the dish","qty":16,"unit":"g","item":"spicy bean sauce — the backbone of the dish"},{"raw":"- 1 tbsp soy sauce","qty":1,"unit":"tbsp","item":"soy sauce"},{"raw":"- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry)","qty":1,"unit":"tbsp","item":"Shaoxing wine"},{"raw":"- 2 tsp sugar","qty":2,"unit":"tsp","item":"sugar"},{"raw":"- 2 tsp vegetarian oyster sauce (mushroom-based)","qty":2,"unit":"tsp","item":"vegetarian oyster sauce"},{"raw":"- 1 tsp sesame oil","qty":1,"unit":"tsp","item":"sesame oil"},{"raw":"- 1 tsp rice vinegar","qty":1,"unit":"tsp","item":"rice vinegar"},{"raw":"- ⅛ tsp white pepper","qty":0.125,"unit":"tsp","item":"white pepper"}]},{"section":"Stir-Fry","items":["- 4 medium Japanese eggplants (approximately 565–680g / 1.25–1.5 lbs), cut into triangular pieces","- 3–4 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado), divided","- 115g (4 oz) shiitake or king oyster mushrooms, very finely diced (3–4mm pieces)","- ½ tsp fresh ginger, minced","- 10 dried chilli peppers, adjust to heat preference","- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped","- 2 scallions, cut on a sharp angle into 5cm (2 inch) pieces — white and green parts separated","- 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water (slurry)"],"parsed":[{"raw":"- 4 medium Japanese eggplants (approximately 565–680g / 1.25–1.5 lbs), cut into triangular pieces","qty":4,"item":"medium Japanese eggplants","prep":"cut into triangular pieces"},{"raw":"- 3–4 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado), divided","qty":3,"qty_max":4,"unit":"tbsp","item":"neutral oil","prep":"divided"},{"raw":"- 115g (4 oz) shiitake or king oyster mushrooms, very finely diced (3–4mm pieces)","qty":115,"unit":"g","item":"shiitake or king oyster mushrooms, very finely diced"},{"raw":"- ½ tsp fresh ginger, minced","qty":0.5,"unit":"tsp","item":"fresh ginger","prep":"minced"},{"raw":"- 10 dried chilli peppers, adjust to heat preference","qty":10,"item":"dried chilli peppers, adjust to heat preference"},{"raw":"- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped","qty":4,"item":"garlic cloves","prep":"finely chopped"},{"raw":"- 2 scallions, cut on a sharp angle into 5cm (2 inch) pieces — white and green parts separated","qty":2,"item":"scallions","prep":"cut on a sharp angle into 5cm pieces — white and green parts separated"},{"raw":"- 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water (slurry)","qty":2,"unit":"tsp","item":"cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water"}]}],"servings_int":4,"qc":{"status":"passed","last_checked_at":"2026-07-30T01:59:19.84479Z","checked_by":"robert@sigler.io","standard_version":"2026-07-29","findings_count":0,"stale":false}}