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Chinese Style Eggplant with Sesame Sauce

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August 1, 2025

Beijing style eggplant with sesame sauce

This Chinese style eggplant dish combines the creaminess of hummus with the smoky element of baba ganoush, and is finished with a drizzle of chili oil. It's a very unique eggplant dish full of nutty, smoky, and savory flavors.

Eggplant lovers have I got a recipe for you today! This is one dish you will not want to miss if you enjoy this purple vegetable as much as I do. The eggplants are pan fried in a skillet until tender and are then scraped, lightly mashed, and seasoned with a simple sesame sauce. It's a very easy recipe to follow with flavors that are also kid friendly.

Preparing eggplant in a skillet is my favorite way to cook this vegetable. It's a no fail technique that I've been using for years now. I find that it's easier and so much better than sauteing or steaming them. It's quick and the eggplants come out perfectly tender every single time. This recipe shows just how easy this method is, plus, 25 minutes is all you need to make this dish from start to finish.

Eggplant with Sesame Sauce Ingredients

Eggplant: Japanese eggplant, Chinese eggplant, and fairy tale eggplant can be used for this recipe.
Sesame paste: Japanese sesame paste is called neri goma (ねりごま) and is made with unhulled sesame seeds, which gives the paste a strong nutty taste with a little bitterness. But you can also used tahini which is made with hulled sesame seeds, and has an overall milder taste.
Water: Water is needed to thin the sesame paste and turn the mixture into a sauce.
Salt: A little salt to balance the nutty, earthy, and smoky flavors.
Toasted sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil is more intense in flavor than regular sesame oil.
Garlic: A regular size clove of garlic, grated, is added to impart a little heat, a little sweetness, and some bite.
Basil: Fresh shredded basil to lighten up the dish and give it a lovely herbaceous aroma.
Chili oil: Chili oil is optional for those who cannot handle spicy food. Essential for those who can!

Other Seasoning Ingredients that Pair Well

Fresh lemon: A good squeeze of fresh lemon juice will brighten up the dish and add some tanginess.
Fresh dill: Oh yes, fresh dill with this dish is beautiful! It imparts a hint of anise and a grassy element.
Soy sauce: 1 teaspoon of soy sauce for some umami.
Miso paste: 1 teaspoon of white miso paste also for some umami, and earthiness.
Spicy chili crisp: A drizzle of spicy chili crisp for more heat, more smokiness, and plenty of aromatics.

How to Make Eggplant with Sesame Sauce

Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.

Start by placing the eggplants in a frying pan. Turn the heat to medium high and cook them for a few minutes until the skin is charred on all sides and the flesh is tender. To check their doneness, gently stick a knife into each eggplant – if it goes through easily, it's ready.
Mash or shred the eggplants. Slice them, scoop out the flesh and lightly press on it to get rid of excess water. Then, either mash it or shred it with your fingers.
Make the sauce by combining the ingredients for it. Add more water if you'd like the sauce to be thinner, and season it the way you like it.
Plate the dish. Place the eggplant on a plate and top with the sauce, basil, and garlic. Enjoy!

Recipe Tip

Choose thin eggplants over fat ones. Thin eggplants cook faster because the heat has a shorter distance to travel to reach the center. I find that it only takes about 5 to 7 minutes to fully cook a Japanese or Chinese eggplant.

Careful with using too much garlic! Too much will overpower the dish so make sure you are using a regular size garlic clove and not a big one.

How To Store This Dish

Chinese eggplant with sesame sauce is best enjoyed fresh. That's because cooked eggplant continues to release water even after they have cooled down, which ends up diluting the flavor of the sauce.

To make the dish in advance to serve later: Save the eggplant and the sauce separately. Refrigerate everything and right before serving, drain any excess water from the eggplant before plating the dish.

For leftovers: Transfer the dish to a storage container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

What to Eat with Eggplant with Sesame Sauce

The serving size for this eggplant recipe is for two people, as a side. It's very flavorful and goes well with a bowl of rice or noodles. I personally like to serve eggplant with sesame sauce with other small Chinese dishes and one main dish such as fried rice or chicken chow mein. Some of my favorite Chinese sides to pair with this recipe are:

Other eggplant recipe you might like to try: Nasu dengaku ( Japanese eggplant with miso glaze), Japanese eggplant tartare, Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce, steamed Korean eggplant, eggplant miso soup, mabo nasu, Szechuan style nasu dengaku, char siu style roasted eggplant.

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

Description

This nutty and savory Chinese style eggplant dish combines the creaminess of hummus with the smoky element of baba ganoush, and is finished with a drizzle of chili oil.

Pan fry the eggplants: In a medium size skillet over medium high heat, add the eggplants, whole. Pan fry on all sides for a few minutes – about 6 to 7 minutes – until the skin is charred and the inside is tender.
Let them cool down: Transfer the eggplant to a cutting board or a plate and leave to cool until they reach room temperature.
Mash the eggplant: Slice each eggplant in half, lengthwise, and scrape the inside of the eggplant using a spoon. Place the flesh into a bowl and discard the skin. Gently press on the eggplant to drain excess liquid. It's okay if there's a little liquid left, as long as there isn't an obvious puddle at the bottom of the bowl. Lightly mash the eggplant with a fork, or shred it using the chopsticks.
Make the sauce: Combine the sesame paste and warm water, and whisk to combine. Add the salt and sesame oil and whisk to combine.
Put the dish together: Transfer the eggplants to a serving dish (if extra water has come out, drain it) and pour the sesame sauce over. Top with grated garlic and basil and serve.