Food January 14, 2021

This Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce is the ultimate 20-minute meal

Tiffy Chen
Restaurant-style Chinese eggplant from food blogger Tiffy Cooks.

Stuck trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight? This food blogger has you covered with any of her fast and flavorful 20 minute meals.

Tiffy Chen launched a series on her TikTok and Instagram, Tiffy Cooks, to show how simple it can be to plate up beautiful restaurant-quality dishes at home in under half an hour.

"I'm trying to do as much as I can this series alternating between meat and vegetable dishes," she said. "I'm trying different vegetables that I usually don't even like myself and making them yummy. I'm glad I got eggplant down."

MORE: Recreate these easy, fast 20-minute meals for 21 days

This recipe for Chinese eggplant even made Chen a believer in the nightshade vegetable that she said she tends to steer clear of in her own cooking. She shared her fast, fun recipe with "Good Morning America" and encouraged any hungry readers recreate the meal.

Restaurant-Style 20 Minute Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce

Tiffy Chen
Restaurant-style Chinese eggplant from food blogger Tiffy Cooks.

Serves: 2 to 4

Ingredients

3 Chinese eggplants

7 cloves of garlic, minced

2 stalks of green onion, chopped

2 chopped red chilis (optional)

2 tablespoons of vegetarian oyster sauce

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of black vinegar

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

4 tablespoons oil

Directions

Cut the ends of the eggplant off, and cut the eggplant in half. Slice the eggplant in half again and cut into 2-inch pieces.

Place the eggplant skin side facing down in a bowl, and steam for 5 to 7 minutes.

In a bowl, add vegetarian oyster sauce, soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, minced garlic, chopped red chili and the white parts of the green onion.

Heat 4 tablespoons of oil, and once the oil is hot, pour it over the sauces and mix.

Once the eggplant is ready, transfer it onto a new plate. Pour garlic sauce all over the eggplant, and garnish with green onion.

Recipes reprinted courtesy of Tiffy Cooks with permission from Tiffy Chen.