I never saw anyone else cooking eggplants and green peppers this way. Nobody gave me this recipe. I made this dish because I wanted to eat eggplant and tiger skin peppers (hu pi qing jiao) but didn’t want to make two separate dishes. Yes, I’m lazy. I would be happy if I could wash one less dish, let alone cook another one. Therefore, I made some adjustments based on the Eggplant Stir Fry and Tiger Skin Peppers. Finally, I got what I expected.
The eggplants are soft and soaked with sauce, and the peppers are crisp and fresh, but not too spicy, making them perfect to eat with rice. For someone like me who likes a bit of spice but not too much, this dish is very appetizing.
Ingredients and Seasonings
- Two eggplants, cut into small strips
- Green peppers, smashed with a knife and cut into sections
- One small chili pepper, chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Oil
- Salt
- Light soy sauce
Choose fresh eggplants. Check this guide to know how to select them.
Choose the peppers shown in the image below, or any other peppers you like. The key is that the peppers should be tender and have thin skins, which makes them softer and easier to absorb flavors. These types of peppers usually have more wrinkles. Thick-skinned peppers are usually smoother, have a bit of a fibrous texture, and don’t taste as good.
How to Stir Fry Eggplant with Green Peppers
It doesn’t matter whether you use a non-stick pan or a wok, but I prefer using a wok because this dish will get some “wok hei” (the unique flavor imparted by a wok). Anyway, I’ll use a non-stick pan to show you the steps.
Step 1: Wipe the non-stick pan dry and then put the green peppers into the pan. NO OIL NEEDED at this step. Keep pressing the peppers and stir-fry them for a while. When the surface of the peppers gets a little burnt, you can move them to a clean dish.
Step 2: Wash the pan and wipe it dry again. Add oil and wait until it is hot. Then add the eggplants into the pan. Fry the eggplants until they turn a little brown.
Step 3: Add the minced garlic and small chili pepper. Stir-fry them until you can smell the aroma of the garlic.
Step 4: Add the green peppers, salt, and light soy sauce. Stir-fry until everything is well mixed and the green peppers are cooked to your desired level.
Now the dish is done. Just get yourself a bowl of rice and enjoy your meal!
