Easy Viet Aubergine Recipe with Black Bean Sauce

This is our #1 aubergine recipe by far because of easy cooking and the flavour is just RIGHT! It’s from a popular Vietnamese vegetarian cookbook.

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I love Vietnamese food seriously, as it’s filled with an Asian-beloved flavour yet less chili-hot; using a generous amount of aromatic herbs and healthy vegetables, and a bowl of pho soup is always heart-warming and nourishing.

A Beginner-Friendly Aubergine Recipe from a Genius Cookbook

As a result, when I was looking for a Vietnamese vegetarian cookbook, I was so gleeful to find this excited cookbook, written by Uyen Luu. This cookbook is thoughtfully written for a normal home cook, and every recipe has a beautiful picture which helps you to imagine what the output looks like, thus highly recommend!

This aubergine recipe with black bean sauce is the first one I have tried. It was an easy-but-huge success that gave me a big nudge to try out all the recipes.

Why I Love this Aubergine Recipe

1. Easy to make – This recipe won’t make you a mess as it’s very easy to cook. It can be divided into 2 parts: 1) Grill the aubergine; 2) Make the sauce. You can do both parts separately in advance and reheat them before serving.
2. Aubergine absorbs less oil – Although aubergine is like a sponge notorious for absorbing oil, this recipe requires much less oil as you only apply a thin layer of oil with a pastry brush. What a genius trick!
3. Eat aubergine as a whole – Some aubergine recipes suggest removing the skin since its texture is not smooth. But I like to eat the whole thing because the purple skin is where the antioxidants exist, meaning our bodies would be happier.

A Few Notes before You Cook

1. Don’t cut the aubergine too deep. – As you know the flesh is like a sponge and easy to cut through, so be gentle! Just a slight criss-cross will be fine. Remember, you don’t want the aubergine covered with holes. (I’d experienced it hard!)
2. Taste the black bean sauce! – This kind of shop-bought product varies from brand to brand. For example, when you look at the ingredient labels, you’ll find Tesco and Waitrose’s contain only around 5% black beans and have a lower sodium content, while the one I recommend from Lee Kum Kee, 25% of it is fermented black beans and its sodium content is much higher. That’s why I added water to mellow it.

Ingredients

Serves: 2-3

• 1 medium aubergine (approx. 350 g)
• 1 tsp ghee (or other vegetable oil)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 tbsp Lee Kum Kee garlic black bean sauce
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp honey
• ½ tbsp lemon juice
• coriander or parsley for garnish

How to Make Aubergine in Black Bean Sauce Easily

1. Cut the aubergine lengthways into 1 ½ cm thick slices. Then use the tip of a sharp knife to criss cross on both sides. Apply a thin layer of oil with a pastry brush.
2. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and place the aubergines in it. Sear both sides until nicely charred and set aside on a plate.
3. In another small pan, heat the ghee and fry the garlic and scallions until fragrant. Add all the black bean sauce, soy sauce, honey and water, stir well and bring to a simmer. Pour the sauce over the aubergine, freshly squeeze in some lemon juice and garnish with herbs. Serve with hot steamed rice.

More Easy Aubergine Recipes

• Moroccan Zaalouk (Aubergine and Tomato Vegan Spread)
• Blackened Aubergine with Soya Mince
• Viet. Style Aubergine Vermicelli with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
• Aubergine Bolognese Rigatoni