Yu-Shiang (Fish-Fragrant) Eggplant Strips
无肉胜有肉超级下饭哒：鱼香茄条 · sichuan cuisine · Sichuan
Yu-xiang ('fish-fragrant') is a classic Sichuan flavor built on garlic, vinegar, sugar, and a savory-spicy bean paste — no fish involved. The author's tip: coating the eggplant in flour before frying keeps it from absorbing too much oil, and the leftover frying oil stays clean enough to reuse for stir-frying. If you can't find spicy soybean paste, use chile peppers to build the heat instead.
Maggie TranSecond-gen Vietnamese, first-gen meal prepper. I batch-cook pho broth monthly and I'm not sorry about the freezer situation. Ask me about fish sauce brands.Nutrition & allergens
Contains:SoyWheat
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- 2.9(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- 736.5(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
2.0 whole — cut into strips
garlic (minced, for finishing)蒜末
3.0 clove
1.2 oz — 2 spoonfuls per conversion table
soybean paste (yellow soybean paste)黄豆酱
0.74 oz — 1 spoonful per conversion table
0.53 oz — 1 spoonful per conversion table
0.42 oz — 1 spoonful per conversion table
0.74 oz — 1 spoonful per conversion table
as needed — for coating the eggplant before frying (mentioned in step 3)
corn oil玉米油
as needed — generous amount for deep-frying (mentioned in step 3)
Techniques you'll use
- Sweet-sour sauce ↗
Balance sugar and vinegar into a bright, glossy coating sauce.
- Deep-frying ↗
Cook food fully submerged in hot oil for crisp crust and moist interior.
- Stir-frying ↗
Cook small pieces in stages, then bring them together while their textures are distinct.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Cut the eggplants into strips and soak them in water to keep them from turning black.
✅ Done when: Strips are fully submerged in water with no browning on the cut surfaces.
Prepare the aromatics and vegetables: tomato, green pepper, and minced garlic. Mix the yu-xiang sauce in the ratio 2 parts light soy sauce : 1 vinegar : 1 sugar : 1 oyster sauce : 1 cornstarch : 3 water.
✅ Done when: All vegetables and garlic are cut and the sauce ingredients are stirred together smoothly.
Toss the eggplant strips with some flour and fry them in corn oil — be generous with the oil, don't be shy about it.
✅ Done when: Strips are evenly coated in flour and sizzling in the hot oil.
Fry the eggplant until it changes color and smells fragrant, about 5 minutes, keeping the heat at medium-high.
✅ Done when: Eggplant is golden and fragrant after roughly 5 minutes of frying.
Contrary to expectations, deep-frying the eggplant doesn't waste much oil — the flour coating keeps it from absorbing much, and the drained oil stays clear enough to save for other stir-fries.
✅ Done when: The drained frying oil in the bowl is clear and free of dark residue.
Pour off nearly all the oil, leaving just a tiny film in the wok. Add 1 spoonful of spicy soybean paste and stir-fry a few strokes — this is the secret weapon. Use chile peppers instead if you don't have it.
✅ Done when: The paste is fragrant and evenly mixed into the thin film of oil.
Add the vegetables — tomato, green pepper, and half of the garlic — and stir-fry briefly. Pour in the yu-xiang sauce and let it bubble a few moments.
✅ Done when: The sauce is bubbling and beginning to thicken around the vegetables.
Add the remaining half of the garlic and stir in — the released yu-xiang aroma is fantastic.
✅ Done when: The raw garlic smell has mellowed into a rich, garlicky aroma.
- 9
Step 9
Finally, add the fried eggplant strips.
✅ Done when: All eggplant strips are back in the wok with the sauce.
- 10
Step 10
Toss everything together to combine, then serve.
✅ Done when: Every strip is evenly coated in sauce and the dish is ready to plate.