A home-style stir-fried dish of eggplant, garlic, and green beans.
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Eggplant and string beans is one of my favorite combinations. I always order this dish at restaurants but I found it’s surprisingly easy to recreate at home. Packed with flavor and satisfying umami, it makes a divine meal paired with some rice.
Ingredients you’ll need for Stir-Fried Eggplant and Green Beans:
- Chinese eggplants. Try to find these eggplants: they’re long and slender, a lighter purple than the globe variety, with a delicate, slightly sweet flavor.
- Green beans. Rinsed and ends trimmed
- Cooking oil. Any heat-resistant oil will do; my favorites are avocado and grapeseed oil.
- Ginger.
- Garlic.
- Dried chilies. Optional.
- Soy sauce and vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
- Ground white pepper.
- Salt
How to make this dish:
First, prep your ingredients! Mince garlic, slice ginger, and cut up the chilies, if using. Cut eggplants into thin strips (about ¼ inch in width), place in a bowl, and sprinkle liberally with salt. Add enough water to cover and let soak in the salt water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry (you want to remove as much moisture as possible).
In a wok, heat 2 tablespoon oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add eggplant strips and fry until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and green beans and fry for 5 minutes, until surface is wrinkled. Remove from pan.
Finally, combine everything back in the wok: briefly sauté garlic, ginger, and chopped chili for one minute until fragrant, then return green beans and eggplant to the pan, stir in soy sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper, and toss to combine.
Enjoy immediately!
More Chinese stir-fry recipes:
If you made this eggplant dish or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and a rating below!
Print📖 Recipe
Chinese Stir-Fried Eggplant and Green Beans
A delicious home-style Chinese dish: garlicky, tender eggplant cooked with green beans. Hearty, umami-packed, and full of satisfying flavor.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Cuisine
Ingredients
- 2 long Chinese purple eggplants, cut into thin strips
- 6 oz (170g) green beans, rinsed and ends trimmed
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 half-inch thumb ginger, julienned
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red chili pepper, sliced thinly (optional, for heat)
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce/stir-fry sauce*
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- additional salt to taste, if needed
Instructions
- Cut eggplants into thin strips (about ¼ inch in width), place in a bowl, and sprinkle liberally with salt. Add enough water to cover and let soak in the salt water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry (you want to remove as much moisture as possible).
- In a wok or skillet, heat 2 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add eggplant strips and fry until tender and slightly golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and green beans and fry for 5 minutes, until surface is wrinkled. Remove from pan.
- Add garlic, ginger, and chopped chili and stir-fry for one minute until fragrant, then return green beans and eggplant to the pan. Stir in soy sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper, and toss to combine. Serve hot.
Notes
- For gluten-free, use tamari in place of soy sauce.
- *I use Lee Kum Lee brand Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce.
Anna says
This was so good! Made it for my Chinese husband who was thoroughly impressed!
I think you meant 170g of green beans, not 1700 – although I didn’t put in 1700 grams, the eggplant to green bean ratio was still a little off 🙂 even then it was so gooooooood!
★★★★★
Anonymous says
Love it so much… I am going towards plant based food. Thank you.
★★★★
jj says
Made this for dinner last night! It was a hit – plan to remake. Thanks!
★★★★★
John Brownlee says
I made this with small globe eggplants – delicious – I think you could get by with less oyster sauce and let the veg flavor be the champion with the garlic and ginger. Thanks
May says
I love this recipe! It’s my go to for eggplants as salting them gives them the custard texture. Love the simple flavor combo and it reminds my dad of his fathers recipe when I swapped the soy sauce with black bean sauce 😭 thank you for sharing this with us!
★★★★★
Charlene says
My husband really liked it lol. Thank you! Will try adding dried shrimp the next time I make it!:)
Jada says
I have found my new go-to recipe for eggplants. They are my favorite vegetable because I love their slimy texture and they absorb the flavor they are cooked in.
★★★★★