Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Pan-Fried Fairytale Eggplant is made with Asian-inspired seasonings, like sesame oil, soy sauce, Chinese 5-Spice seasoning, white pepper and it also has olive oil, minced garlic. Make this delicious preparation of eggplant in your wok or large frying pan right on the stovetop!

Pan-Fried Fairytale Eggplant

Hi Everyone, I'm sharing one of our favorite dishes for our meatless dinner nights, this Pan-Fried Fairytale Eggplant.

We love having this over hot, steamed rice.

It's so tasty with a delicious brown sauce.

Ingredients

If you want to have more sauce, just use the larger measurement amount.

• 1-2 tablespoons regular olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1-2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 pound 8 ounces (with tops) fairytale eggplant; 1 pound 7 ounces (with the tops cut off), you can subtitute the same weight in another variety of eggplant
• ¼ teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice powder
• 1-2 tablespoons Chinese chives, washed and chopped
• ground white pepper for serving, amount to taste
• Kosher salt, amount to taste

The white flowers in these photos are from the Chinese Chives. They were blooming at the time of my photographing the recipe, so I included them.

Kitchen Tools

• wok or large frying pan or cast iron skillet
• spatula
• measuring spoons and cups
• 2-cup measure

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Pan-Fried Fairytale Eggplant

Yield: 2-4 servings

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Total Time: 8 minutes

Pan-Fried Fairytale Eggplant is made with Asian-inspired seasonings, like sesame oil, soy sauce, Chinese 5-Spice seasoning, white pepper and it also has olive oil, minced garlic. Make this delicious preparation of eggplant in your wok or large frying pan right on the stovetop!

4.3 Stars (6 Reviews)

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Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoon regular olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1-2 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 pound 8 ounces (with tops) fairytale eggplant; 1 pound 7 ounces (with the tops cut off), you can subtitute the same weight in another variety of eggplant
• ¼ teaspoon 5-Spice powder
• ground white pepper for serving, amount to taste
• Kosher salt, amount to taste
• ½-1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon chives, chopped, amount to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oils (olive oil and sesame) in the wok (or large frying pan with a lid), add the minced garlic, when the garlic is translucent and the oil is heated(1-2 minutes), add the cut eggplant. Using a spatula, stir the eggplant until it's coated with the oil mixture. Drizzle the soy sauce and add the water (½ cup for less sauce, 1 cup for more sauce). Bring to a simmer. Stir the eggplant, add the 5-spice, and stir (3-4 minutes covered). Uncover, stir and cook for 5-10 minutes more until the sauce is reduced to the thickness you want. The eggplant can break down and become almost like a part of the sauce and it's good that way or you can opt to have them more "whole" looking. Add chopped Chinese chives toward the end of the saute and serve with more, if you wish.

Notes

• If you want to add more flavor, you can add chilis, and or fish sauce (if not vegetarian/vegan)
• You can drizzle more olive oil and soy sauce on top if you want

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1046Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 709mgCarbohydrates: 225gFiber: 64gSugar: 82gProtein: 23g

Please note that the Calculated Nutrition is an estimate at best. If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating – it helps others find the recipe!

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets

Life’s Little Sweets is a seasonal cooking and local food blog featuring farm-to-table recipes, CSA inspiration, and creative ways to enjoy what’s fresh and in season.

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Latest posts by Sara Maniez (see all)

• No-Knead Oatmeal Bread - August 30, 2026
• Slow Cooker Crock-Pot Butter Corn - August 29, 2026
• Roasted Fairytale Eggplant - August 28, 2026