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How to Make Unagi-Style Eggplant

As everyone knows, eggplants 🍆 and potatoes đŸĨ” are two types of meat dishes. This unagi-style eggplant dish is to eel what ginger is to potatoes in potato stew.*.

Estimated cooking difficulty: ★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Eggplant
  • Unagi sauce
  • Honey
  • White sugar
  • Light soy sauce
  • Dark soy sauce
  • Cooking wine
  • Water

Measurements

  • Decide the amount of oil based on the type of pan
  • Non-stick pan: The oil should spread across the surface area of the eggplant after gathering into droplets.
  • Wok: The oil should just cover the bottom of the pan when spread out.
  • 1 long eggplant that is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom (do not use Zhejiang eggplants or round eggplants)
  • 1 portion of unagi sauce
  • 20 ml honey
  • 15 ml white sugar
  • 40 ml light soy sauce
  • 10 ml dark soy sauce
  • 20 ml cooking wine
  • 100 ml water

Instructions

  • Peel the eggplant and cut it horizontally into two sections.
  • Steam for 5 minutes.
  • Cut lengthwise without cutting all the way through, making 2~3 cuts on each side so it can be laid flat.
  • Pan-fry until both sides are golden brown.
  • Pour unagi sauce over the eggplant until it covers half the height of the eggplant.
  • Fry until the back is colored, then flip.
  • Simultaneously reduce the sauce. If the sauce does not reduce, add a cornstarch slurry (ratio of cornstarch to water between 1:4 and 1:10, depending on the reduction progress).
  • Pour the remaining unagi sauce over the eggplant.
  • Serve. The eggplant with unagi sauce is ready.

Additional Notes

  • This unagi-style dish is actually quite Chinese; the Japanese version is typically grilled.
  • The soul of the dish lies in the unagi sauce? You can also buy pre-made unagi sauce.
  • If you find it too rich, sprinkle some chopped scallions (2~5 mm) on the plate after serving. This also adds visual interest.
  • For stir-fried eggplant dishes (such as Yuxiang eggplant or Jiangbao eggplant), Zhejiang eggplants are highly recommended. Their slender shape makes them perfect for rolling knife cuts, and their skin is tender, eliminating the need for peeling. Their flavor is moderate.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.