chinese eggplant
茄子· qie zi
Taste & Role
A staple vegetable in Chinese home cooking, Chinese eggplant shines in stir-fries, braises, and steamed dishes where it soaks up sauces like a sponge. It is the classic choice for dishes such as yu xiang (fish-fragrant) eggplant, garlic eggplant, and di san xian. Its quick-cooking nature and sauce-absorbing texture make it a go-to for building hearty, savory vegetable mains.
What it is
Chinese eggplant is a slender, elongated variety of eggplant with thin, deep-purple skin and pale, tender flesh. It is typically smaller and narrower than the common globe eggplant found in Western supermarkets, with fewer seeds and far less bitterness. When cooked, its flesh turns soft and creamy rather than spongy or bitter.
Nutrition
per 100 g- Calories
- 24 kcal
- Protein
- 1.19 g
- Total fat
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 5.95 g
- Fiber
- 3.6 g
- Sodium
- 0 mg
USDA FoodData Central
Substitutes
No registered substitutes — this one is usually easy to find.
Recipes using it
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