Sticky honey soy aubergine

THIS AUBERGINE. I donβt know what I can say to convince you just how incredible this sticky honey soy aubergine is, so you’ll just have to believe me. It might not look like much, but the flavours are ridiculous. Itβs beautifully sweet, with a warm heat from the chilli flakes, and a salty kick from the soy sauce. Ri.di.cu.lous.

Aubergine is always the first thing I look for on the menu at a Chinese restaurant – it goes so well with Chinese flavours, especially when it’s cooked down in a sticky sauce like this. But for some unknown reason, Iβd never tried to make any sort of Chinese-style aubergine at home before. This recipe takes just 15 minutes, so I have no idea why I didn’t come up with it sooner.
Some people don’t like how aubergine acts a bit like a sponge, but I say you should just take advantage of this property! Cook it right in the sauce until itβs soft and juicy and bursting at the seams with the sticky sauce.

This recipe could feed two as a side dish (I’m thinking it would go really well with tofu in black bean sauce – though I might just be saying that because it’s my other go-to Chinese favourite). However, if youβre anything like me, youβll want to eat the whole lot as a full meal. You could serve it with noodles or fried rice, but personally, I was happy to just wolf it down on its own with an extra dash of soy sauce on top.
Itβs not a particularly saucy dish because the aubergine soaks up all the liquid, but it becomes so juicy and flavourful that you wonβt miss the sauce. Make sure you top it with plenty of fresh coriander! It brings a great freshness to the dish. I also sprinkled some extra dried chilli flakes on top, but make sure you taste it first before you end up blowing your head off!


Sticky honey soy aubergine
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 aubergine cut into medium-sized chunks
- 2 tbsp honey or agave if you’re vegan
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- Pinch dried chilli flakes
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Black pepper
- Fresh coriander to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, and add the aubergine chunks, honey, soy sauce and chilli flakes. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, for around 5 minutes.
- Then add the garlic, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the aubergine is soft and sticky, and there is no more excess liquid.
- Season with black pepper, and serve topped with plenty of fresh coriander
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

yum.. definitely recreating this eggplant for my vegetarian household. looks delicious! thanks for the idea!
Call me convinced! This sounds sooo good. I know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow. As ever your pictures are absolutely stunning.
Thanks so much Kate! But my pictures are nothing compared to yours!! ;)
Made this for the first time today. Oh my goodness it is totally amazing …. The chef must be very clever to create something so stunning, yet quick and simple!
Haha! Well thanks Robyn! :)
This was such a spectacular, tasty dish! It will become a staple ‘quick-meal’ recipe in our house. Thanks for posting it.
I doubled the sauce and added red peppers, zucchini and green onions. Also used way more garlic and red pepper flakes because we like it spicy! Delicious!
Thanks Karen, glad you enjoyed it! :) adding extra veg sounds like a great way to turn this from a side dish into a full meal!
I love aubergine and that sticky sauce looks very delicious!
I can’t tell you how utterly gorgeous this looks. I’m also a huge fan of Chinese aubergine dishes and this kid glorious!
This aubergine dish sounds so flavorful! Nice thing for vegetarian dinner :)
love the flavours here. I have done a Vietnamese Aubergine dish with similar flavours that went down very well. Will have to try this out!
Thanks for this recipe. I just picked my aubergine ( egg plant here in the US) and was wondering what I would do with them. Now I know!!
Delicious. I am a huge aubergine fan and this looks a really good way to cook them.
I would definitely eat it all by myself. What a lovely sauce, a combination of my favorite flavors. Thanks for sharing the recipe!