This Fish Fragrant Eggplant Is SO Good (No Fish, All Flavor!)

Fish-Fragrant Eggplant (Yu Xiang Eggplant)
Despite the name, this dish contains no fish at all!

“Fish-fragrant” refers to a classic Chinese flavor profile that’s sweet, savory, tangy, and deeply aromatic. This eggplant version is rich, saucy, and incredibly satisfying with rice or noodles.

Ingredients Prep
Cut the eggplant into chunks.
Add salt, mix well, and let it sit for 15 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
In a bowl, prepare the sauce:
5g sugar
1 tbsp starch
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
Mix well and set aside.
Crush and chop a few cloves of garlic.

Prepare the Eggplant
After 15 minutes, squeeze out the water from the eggplant.
Coat the eggplant evenly with starch.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan.
Pan-fry the eggplant until golden, then remove and set aside.

Cook the Sauce
In the same pan, add 1 large spoon of ground pork and cook until done.
Add the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add 1 tbsp chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and stir well.

Combine & Finish
Return the fried eggplant to the pan.
Pour in the prepared sauce.
Stir and cook until the sauce thickens and coats everything evenly.

Final Result
This Fish-Fragrant Eggplant is savory, slightly sweet, tangy, and incredibly aromatic.
The eggplant is tender and juicy, soaking up all the sauce — perfect with steamed rice!

If you love bold flavors and saucy dishes, you have to try this one. 🍆🔥

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#ChineseHomeCooking
#EggplantRecipe