Chinese Stuffed Eggplant is filled with bouncy shrimp paste and has a crispy texture when shallow fried! It’s easy to make and packed with flavor—great as a snack, side, or part of a dinner spread!
What is Chinese stuffed eggplant?
Chinese stuffed eggplant is a super tasty dish where you take long, purple eggplants, slice them into chunks, and stuff them with a mix of ground pork and shrimp (or just one, depending on what you’ve got). Then, you pan-fry those little stuffed pockets until they’re golden. This dish originated from my grandma’s Hakka side, where she learned how to make this dish. You can find this dish usually in dim sum restaurants or made at home! This recipe is very similar to the stuffed jalapenos!
Ingredients:
Here’s a look at what you need to make this Chinese Stuffed Eggplant. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Chinese eggplants – They look longer and thinner than the western eggplant. They taste sweeter too! It is found in most asian grocery stores. Some western stores have it as well! If you’re a eggplant fan, you should also try my easy Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce or Steamed Eggplant with Garlic.
- Corn starch – this is a crucial ingredient to ensure the filling is tender and juicy. It also is used to ensure the filling is adhered to the eggplant.
- Filling – Ground pork and shrimp is used for the filling. Shrimp makes the filling more bouncy. If you want, you can sub with ground chicken but it won’t be as juicy.
- Seasoning – soy sauce, white pepper and chicken bouillon is used to season the filling. The flavor should be mild but seasoned well to ensure it is salty and goes well with the eggplant. Add chopped green onions or cilantro for extra fragrant flavor! For Cantonese cuisine, we keep things lightly seasoned so the taste of the fresh ingredients come out!
How to Make Chinese Stuffed Eggplant
Step 1. Cut off the stems of Chinese eggplant. Peel half of the skin of the eggplant (in stripes).
Step 2. Slice diagonally in 1 inch pieces.
Step 3. To make the filling, mince the shrimp until it forms a paste. Then, place minced shrimp in a bowl with ground pork, green onions (optional) soy sauce, salt, ginger, chicken bouillon, olive oil, and corn starch, white pepper, and egg.
Step 4. Mix in one direction for 50+ times until the filling is gelatinous and sticks together.
Step 5. Add corn starch on a plate. Take one piece of eggplant and press one side of the eggplant with cornstarch. This helps the eggplant stick to the filling when cooking and eating. If you skip this step, the filling and the eggplant might fall apart during cooking.
Step 6. Smear 1 tablespoon of filling on the cornstarch side of the eggplant. Add some more cornstarch on top of the filling to make it crispy.
Step 7. Heat pan to medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add stuffed eggplant meat side down and gently press. Be careful, oil may splatter. Fry eggplant for 4 minutes with a cover.
Step 8. Then, turn down heat to low-medium. Flip the eggplant over (feel free to add a few tbs of oil to ensure the eggplant doesn’t stick!) and cook the eggplant for 3-4 minutes until it softens. Add some chopped garlic to the oil. Fry for one more minute. Enjoy with some hot rice!
PRO TIP: You may need to fry the stuffed eggplant in a few batches. Overcrowding them will make them not as crispy.
Expert Tips
- Use Chinese eggplants for a sweeter taste. The western eggplants is wider and they can taste more bitter.
- Peeling half the skin and keeping some helps retain the structure of the eggplant. The skin can make the eggplant hard but a little bit gives it the perfect structure.
- Use cornstarch prior to the filling to ensure the pork and shrimp adheres to the eggplant. If you don’t use it, the eggplant and filling may separate during the pan frying step.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend to serve with hot white rice and your favorite vegetables like this Stir-Fried Cabbage. If you want a Chinese feast, I recommend to serve with some Hainanese Chicken rice.
You can store in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then, you can reheat in the microwave in one minute or heat on the pan until it is hot.
Check Out More Chinese Recipes
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Chinese Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 4 Chinese eggplants half peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon corn starch for frying
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil for frying
- 5-8 garlic cloves minced
filling
- 1 pound ground pork
- 10-14 shrimp de-veined and peeled
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 green onion liced
- 5-7 sprigs cilantro optional
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Cut off the stems of Chinese eggplant. Peel half of the skin of the eggplant (in stripes).
- Slice diagonally in 1 inch pieces.
- To make the filling, mince the shrimp until it forms a paste.
- Then, place minced shrimp in a bowl with ground pork, green onions (optional) soy sauce, salt, ginger, chicken bouillon, olive oil, and corn starch, white pepper, and egg.
- Mix in one direction for 50+ times until the filling is gelatinous and sticks together.
- Add corn starch on a plate. Take one piece of eggplant and press one side of the eggplant with cornstarch. This helps the eggplant stick to the filling when cooking and eating. If you skip this step, the filling and the eggplant might fall apart during cooking.
- Smear 1 tablespoon of filling on the cornstarch side of the eggplant. Add some more cornstarch on top of the filling to make it crispy.
- Heat pan to medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add stuffed eggplant meat side down and gently press. Be careful, oil may splatter. Fry eggplant for 4 minutes with a cover.
- Then, turn down heat to low-medium. Flip the eggplant over (feel free to add a few tbs of oil to ensure the eggplant doesn’t stick!) and cook the eggplant for 3-4 minutes until it softens. Add some chopped garlic to the oil. Fry for one more minute. Enjoy with some hot rice!
Video
@cookwithdana Reply to @…uwq stuffed eggplant is one of my favorite Hakka recipes 😊 #chinesefood
♬ Lovesick Girls – Shin Giwon Piano
Notes
- Use Chinese eggplants for a sweeter taste. The western eggplants is wider and they can taste more bitter.
- Peeling half the skin and keeping some helps retain the structure of the eggplant. The skin can make the eggplant hard but a little bit gives it the perfect structure.
- Use cornstarch prior to the filling to ensure the pork and shrimp adheres to the eggplant. If you don’t use it, the eggplant and filling may separate during the pan frying step.
Sian says
a new recipe to try with eggplant! been making the same few eggplant recipes and this will be a great addition. the filing sounds like it’d be yummy in dumplings too!