Take-out at home takes less than 30 minutes when you’re making this Szechuan spicy garlic eggplant and string bean stir fry!
Szechuan Spicy Garlic Eggplant and String Bean Stir Fry

We all have things to do, people to see, summer lovin’ to live,

(theses to write),

so let’s keep things simple around here, shall we?

STIR FRY!! The answer to all of life’s busiest weeknight prayers. Answered.

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Unless, of course, you’re one of those people who takes 90 minutes to make a 30 minute meal. (<– Don’t be like me.)

But even I was able to get this from chopping board –> stovetop –> table in 25 minutes flat, non-existent attention span and all! Which means you guys can probably do it in 10. I have all my faith in you.

We keep getting these cute Japanese eggplants in our CSA and for weeks now I’ve dreamt of them all fall-apart tender in a sweet salty garlicky spicy sauce, like something I had in a restaurant many moons ago, that I can’t now remember the name of. Somehow I found excuses to make this, that, or the other thing with them instead until finally life got in the way.

I mean, really GOT IN THE WAY to the point that on Saturday, it was either get in the kitchen and make it happen or go without lunch.

I think you know what I chose.

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We happened to also have some CSA string beans in the fridge, so I threw them into the pan as well, but you can totally take a clean-out-the-fridge approach to this. The eggplant really does get all melt-in-your-mouth good and the sauce brings the flavor in a bold, spicy, explosion kind of way. It’s probably going to put your favorite take-out joint to shame. Sorry? (<–NOT.)

Szechuan Spicy Garlic Eggplant and String Bean Stir Fry
 
Take-out at home takes less than 30 minutes when you're making this Szechuan spicy garlic eggplant and string bean stir fry!
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar or Chinese black vinegar
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 10 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium Japanese eggplants, sliced 2-inch thick crosswise and cut into 6 wedges
  • 1 lb string beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, sugar, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 30-40 seconds or until fragrant. Add the eggplant and string beans to the pan. Saute for 6-8 minutes, or until the eggplant starts to soften, stirring every few minutes. Stir in the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce is thickened and eggplant is tender, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve over brown rice.
Notes
Adapted from Saveur
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ¼ recipe

More Takeout At Home!

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Crispy Kung Pao Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry

vegetarian pad thai

Vegetarian Pad Thai

massaman curry with peanuts, potatoes, and cardamom

Massaman Curry with Peanuts, Potatoes, and Cardamom

From Around the Web:

Quick and Easy Vegetable Lo Mein from Hip Foodie Mom

Thai Peanut Stir Fry with Tofu + Broccolini from Oh, Ladycakes

Korean Tofu Soup from See + Savour

Crispy Baked Tofu Teriyaki Bowl from Coffee & Quinoa

Sesame-Orange Ginger Chickpea Stir Fry from Ambitious Kitchen

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39 Responses to Szechuan Spicy Garlic Eggplant and String Bean Stir Fry

  1. I love, love stir-fry for dinner this time of year. There are so many fresh vegetables available and it’s quick and easy. This one looks super flavorful and yummy!

  2. Christine says:

    Just what I needed. The fridge does need a real clean-out and this is perfect! Love it and so easy! And yes, I’m up early :p

  3. Those little eggplants are awesome!
    I love the sauce you made for this. 🙂

  4. Hooray for your CSA!!! I seriously love CSAs because they introduce people to new veggies!! I just made an eggplant mapo tofu that I can’t wait to share on the blog. . I had both regular eggplant and bought a Chinese eggplant to compare the two. . anyway. . I have more eggplant to use (I froze the leftover .. we’ll see how it works out?!) and can’t wait to try this!!! love love love!!!

  5. Oh man….I can just SEE this stir-fry in my Monday night’s future. I seriously have so many string-beans right now and the eggplants aren’t too far behind! This is so happening here. 🙂

  6. This is my favorite thing to order!!! I want your version!

  7. I think that stirfrys were just made for busy week nights. I love that you just throw everything in a pan with a delicious sauce and you have yourself a meal.

  8. I adore szechuan eggplant, I had no idea how easy it would be to make! Loving the crunchy addition of string beans too, yum!

  9. Lori Rice says:

    This looks so good! Eggplant always stumps me. I run out of creative ideas for using it, but this is the perfect dish to get it back on the menu!

  10. This stir fry needs to be on the dinner table tonight. I adore eggplant so much, so this sounds pretty darn perfect!

  11. Louanne says:

    Still picking eggplant from our garden, so definitely making this-looks perfect!

  12. Yum! I order yu hsiang eggplant all the time at my favorite Chinese place and this looks just like it, but with green beans, too. Wish I had some for lunch…

  13. This stir fry looks so adorable and delish! Garlic+eggplant+string bean = wow! What an awesome and creative meal! Loving it, Joanne!! 🙂

  14. Stirfry is just the best! Love the eggplant/string beans combo and love garlic/asian flavors!

  15. Izzy says:

    Stir fry is one of my favorite things to eat but I rarely make it at home because it seems like I can never get it to look or taste as good as the restaurant. But this one seriously looks so delicious! It looks perfectly gooey and and I bet it is so flavorful!!

  16. cheri says:

    Hi Joanne, this is my favorite way to enjoy eggplant, love it.

  17. Debbie says:

    What a great vegetable dish. I love this!

  18. Eileen says:

    Going without lunch is definitely not an option — especially when this is the alternative! You have to love going to town on a huge plate of spicy eggplant and beans. So good!

  19. Stir-fry is to me, what squash is to you. Pure unadulterated, unapologetic, 100% LOVE. I WANT!!! Pinned and printed. You may be making me dinner next week. Boom.

  20. Erica says:

    Omg literally all I can think about now is Chinese food. Thanks for the distraction lady 😉
    Hope school is going well!!

  21. It totally takes me 45-60 min to make a salad, so, yeah, I’m not the fastest. 🙂 Let’s chat about that eggplant? It’s kind of an obsession of mine. Eric and I enjoy trying it at each Chinese restaurant to see what’s the best… and we have found our favorite in our local bar/Chinese restaurant that’s just so incredible. It’s in Woburn, which is totally not convenient for people in Boston, but if you ever get yourself up that way, try it. It’s awesome. Though, I have to say that I think you nailed it with this dish.

  22. Kelly says:

    This eggplant stir-fry looks incredible and perfect for those busy weeknights! Love the Japanese eggplants and string beans and that sauce sounds fantastic!

  23. This looks delicious! I am all for easy meals. Now that I have had my taste of stir fry, I am addicted! Love this!

  24. Reeni says:

    Another eggplant recipe I can add to my to-try list! I love that it’s a clean out the fridge type of dish! My lunches never look this good.

  25. Kate says:

    stirfry has always been my go-to, easy, one pan, use up fridge contents meal.

  26. Monica says:

    Well done! This looks so good. I think I could impress my mother with this!

  27. easypeasy says:

    This sounds soooo good!!! We love Asian food at our house! So is this a Chinese recipe or Japanese? I’m super curious! 🙂

  28. I love dishes that clean out the fridge and end up tasting great 🙂

  29. Katerina says:

    I love stir fry and it is the perfect meal for busy weekdays!

  30. If we’re talking Jamie Oliver 30 minute meals, 90 minutes does become entirely possible when I am involved. I’m grateful you’re keeping it real so we don’t lose all our summer evenings in the kitchen! This looks delicious.

  31. Haha – no, I am not one of “those people who takes 90 minutes to make a 30 minute meal” but I am one of those that can take 20 minutes to make a 30 minute meal and then find I left something out – most often its the salt!
    Btw – Joanne, this Szechuan Spicy Garlic Eggplant and String Bean Stir Fry sounds wonderful! The eggplant must have been so delicious after soaking up all those flavors

  32. Oh, love these flavours – Joanne – I am saying it again – roll on the eggplant season:-)

  33. Sarah says:

    Dream come true in a bowl for my household! Husband loves eggplant and I love greenbeans… perfection 🙂

  34. […] Szechuan Spicy Garlic Eggplant Stir Fry | Eats Well With Others (V) […]

  35. Susan K says:

    Amazing!!!! Used your recipe as a guide but was missing a couple ingredients. Happy results though! Wow…

    No soy sauce so I used mushroom sauce instead. Had Balsamic and Chinese black vinegar so used both. No mirin so used white wine vinegar and sugar/honey mix plus Hoison sauce to add a little sweet depth. Chili garlic sauce. Powdered ginger & garlic because I was nearly out of chopped garlic. And no sesame oil, but today I did not miss it.

    Ate every bit of 7 Japanese eggplants myself–straight out of pan–oops. Gotta make this again…lol.

  36. Barbara V says:

    Wow! Spicy and so delicious! Thanks for sharing.

  37. This has a delicious flavor! Unfortunately, I didn’t have string beans so I tried using the brownish-green ones I had on hand. That was a bad idea because they never fully cooked and remained quite crunchy. But the flavor was so yummy, we ate it anyway!
    I am making it again tomorrow with the string beans! Can’t wait to enjoy it again with some friends who are vegan!

  38. Maclean Nash says:

    This recipe is delicious!
    I had subbed the mirin for rice wine vinegar as that’s all I had and it was perfect!
    We paired it with pan fried salmon and brown rice!
    Thank you so much!

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