Posted on 12th Jul 2025

Szechuan Claypot Aubergine

A vegetarian recipe that stands out from the crowd; friend aubergines, shiitake mushrooms, rice and flavours aplenty combine to bring this tasty bowl of Chinese food to life.

Cuisine

Time

35 min mins

Servings

4 people people

Ingredients

2 Chinese aubergines
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 large red chilli, deseeded (optional depending on preferred spice level) and finely chopped
½ thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
100g pickled pak choi or Sichuan pickled vegetables
a small handful coriander, finely chopped for garnish
400ml vegetable oil (if deep frying the aubergine)

The Marinade

½ tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
½ tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

The Sauce

1 tablespoon chilli bean paste
½ tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
200ml vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Chinkiang black rice vinegar
½ tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

Method

1. Leaving the skin on, slice the aubergines in half lengthways, then lengthways once again, quartering them, before cutting into 3-4 cm chunks to end up with approx. 16 pieces (depending on the size of your aubergine).

2. Finely chop the garlic, chillies, ginger and coriander. Take care to keep the chillies and coriander separate.

3. Mix all ‘The Sauce’ ingredients together in a bowl. In a small separate bowl, tip your, then massage in ‘The Marinade’ ingredients until well mixed.