Chinese Eggplant Salad

A bright and spicy side dish.

Published July 27, 2022

Overhead image of eggplant salad on a grey stoneware plate with chop sticks — Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Why It Works

Soaking eggplants in a vinegar bath for just 10 minutes helps prevent them from turning brown during cooking, while flavoring them gently with a bit of bright acidity.
Steaming (or microwaving) the eggplants both ensures a gentle cooking method that preserves its bright colors.
The dressing takes on a spicy twist with the addition of chili oil to an all-purpose vinaigrette base.

Eggplant is one of the most popular vegetables used in cold Chinese dishes known as liangcai (涼菜). Its gentle sweetness and soft texture works very well with a variety of flavors, from garlic and bright herbs to nutty sesame pastes. This version presents the eggplant with a dressing based on my “all-purpose” Chinese-style vinaigrette, but given a spicy flavor with the addition of some chili oil. I also add minced garlic and scallion greens for brightness and herbaceousness.

The basic all-purpose vinaigrette is something I came up with after wondering if it might be possible to develop a Chinese-vinaigrette rule-of-thumb similar to the Western 3:1 ratio of oil to vinegar in dressings. After studying many cold dish recipes, I landed on a ratio of 3:3:1:1 by volume of soy sauce to aromatic oil to vinegar to sugar, respectively. This isn't an absolute rule you'll encounter in all of Chinese cooking, but it's a practical framework for developing dressings that are versatile and balanced. It's also a great jumping-off point for variations, such as my addition of chili oil here in place of part of the aromatic oil in my basic vinaigrette recipe.

The best eggplants for this salad are the long, narrow Chinese eggplants. Find ones that are firm, with bright, darker purple on the exterior and brilliantly white inside. Because Chinese eggplant often has fewer seeds than globe eggplant, it tends to be sweeter. Chinese eggplant is also more resistant to dissolving into mush when cooked thoroughly, and it retains a pleasantly stringy texture. To protect its purple color, the eggplant is soaked briefly in white vinegar, which causes the anthocyanin in the skin to appear more vibrant.

Chopsticks holding up a piece of eggplant — Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

I like serving this dish on the side of a family-style meal, especially if the main courses are heavier and warm. Though this salad is served cold, it doesn't shy away from layers of flavor and can stand on its own when eaten with flavorful stir-fries and braised meats. The dressing is also delicious over white rice.

Recipe Details

Chinese Eggplant Salad Recipe

Prep 20 mins

Cook 30 mins

Total 50 mins

Serves 2 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

2 small Chinese eggplant (about 12 ounces; 340g total), trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths (see note)
2 tablespoons (30ml) distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons (45ml) Chinese light soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons (22ml) seasoning oil from the Chinese all-purpose vinaigrette recipe
1 1/2 tablespoons (22g) chile pepper oil, such as Fly By Jing
1 tablespoon (15ml) Chinese Zhenjiang (black) vinegar
1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
3 medium cloves garlic (15g), minced
1 scallion green (10g), sliced thinly on a bias

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the white vinegar with 2 cups cold water. Add eggplant and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain well.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Set up a steamer and bring to full-steam over high heat. Add eggplant, cover, and cook until tender throughout but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, place drained eggplant in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and cook until tender throughout but not mushy, about 7 minutes at high power. Let cool to room temperature, then, using your hands, tear cooked eggplant into thick batons.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, seasoning oil, chili oil, black vinegar, and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
In a bowl, combine eggplants, garlic, and scallion greens. Add dressing 1 tablespoon at a time while gently tossing until eggplant is sufficiently dressed, about 4 tablespoons. Serve.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Special Equipment

Steamer or microwave

Notes

The key to deeply purple eggplants is picking younger eggplants that have deep purple skins and lightly colored seeds and flesh inside. Larger eggplant should also be split in half lengthwise.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to 1 week; whisk well before using. The dressed salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 days but will gradually lose its vibrant color.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
269	Calories
18g	Fat
25g	Carbs
4g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories	269
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 1g	6%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1790mg	78%
Total Carbohydrate 25g	9%
Dietary Fiber 5g	17%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 13mg	65%
Calcium 38mg	3%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 380mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)