Reviewed: Mar. 15, 2012

Pretty darn good. I used 2 medium Asian eggplants from a local Asian supermarket for this and did 1/2 teaspoon of Sriracha chili sauce. Instead of cornstarch I used tapioca starch (was all I had on hand) and used ground ginger instead of the fresh. Omitted shrimp and beef altogether because I wanted to keep it vegetarian like the one a restaurant in my area makes really well, using only eggplant and tofu. I didn't have tofu so I used mushrooms, scallions and onion instead. Turned out great - and is wonderful when paired with brown or white rice. Thanks!

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Reviewer:

Foodie25

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Los Angeles, California, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 14, 2012

Very good, but I made it on the spicier side and served it alongside Coconut Jasmine Rice (recipe here). I also added a 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar which really made the flavors pop. Kid and hubby loved it. Will be making it again and probably adding mushrooms and baby corn for added texture.

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Reviewer:

Mistress Vee

Cooking Level: Professional

Reviewed: Feb. 18, 2012

Flavors are perfect. I swapped surf/turf for bird... I love chicken w.szechuan eggplant from my wok-n-good local spot...and they NEVER seem to have the eggplant lately so I had to figure it out myself. The main problem for me here was texture. I will try not to cook the sh!t out of it next time. xxxooo

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Reviewer:

GUIDOSWIFE

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2012

I used just two chicken thighs,and Thai holy basil instead of the chili sauce,as it was on hand. Also used aq bit of sesame oil instead of spraying the pan I have made many variations of this recipe, and this was great with my substitutions. Not too much chicken, but enough to enhance flavor. Especially like the small amount of oil.

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Reviewer:

Dragonwoman

Reviewed: Jan. 3, 2012

This turned out soooo good, much better than expected! I wanted to try something different with ground beef and what little ingredients i had on hand. I had to substitute sliced green peppers instead of eggplant and didn't have any shrimp to add but kept the rest of the ingredients as is. I separated the ground beef very well and instead of only browning it cooked until it started to turn crispy before adding the vegs and sauce. It was a little on the salty side but i like it that way, and not too spicy for the whimpy members of the family although I did add extra chili sauce to my bowl. This seems like a recipe that can work with whatever combination of meat and vegetables you have on hand!

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Reviewer:

Aesis

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Living In: Fergus, Ontario, Canada

Reviewed: Dec. 12, 2011

I had chicken tenders and eggplant in the fridge that I needed to cook up so I found this recipe an decided to give it a try. Delish. I cut the tenders into chunks, floured, and browned in oil. My thinking was I wanted a crispy chicken to counter balance the soft eggplant. I did increase the garlic and did double the sauce. I cooked the eggplant with the garlic and ginger first and browned the chicken in a separate pan. Added sauce and thicken and tossed chicken in last. Family said they'd like to try the ground beef & Shrimp as well so I guess I'm as making this again.

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Reviewer:

Mary

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: West Caldwell, New Jersey, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2011

Overall a tasty recipe, but 1lb of ground beef was too much. I used 3 long skinny eggplants, which were drowning in the beef. I have to agree with another reviewer that the dish is traditionally made with ground pork. One thing I did differently from the recipe was instead of cooking the shrimp first, I threw it into the pan for the last 5 min. I would make this recipe again, but use 1/2 lb ground turkey instead of beef, add more chili sauce, and less soy sauce (replace with more soup stock). I might even add 1/2 lb of tofu too.

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Reviewer:

Mirry

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Reviewed: Sep. 18, 2011

Yum, I used pork instead of hamburger and added quite a bit more chili sauce. Hubby and I both loved this, I will definitely make it again. Thanks!

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Reviewer:

tivaly

Reviewed: Sep. 9, 2011

my husband loves this stuff. I make it about once a month. I use ground turkey in place of the beef.

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Reviewer:

rebacan

Reviewed: Aug. 25, 2011

Very good! I listened to the other reviewers' comments & reduced the soy to 4t. 'Would've used 2t oyster sauce, but I was out. 'Rest of the measurements as written. When simmering, I covered it. 'Think that's a haveto or it wouldn't be cooked thoroughly. I used the white half of the green onions in the first part so they got cooked & the green half at the end. Only problem, which really wasn't, was there wasn't any sauce to thicken. I used the full smount of sauce for one pound of eggplant. The chili sauce, the Chinese type - not the ketchup cousin, added just a little spice. I'd say kidfriendly spice amount. For adults, I'd add more - & will. :) OH, OH, OH, I kinda did change a few more things now that I'm rereading the recipe. Oops. I didn't have any ginger root (didn't add powdered either) & didn't add any shrimp or meat. I did add a little tofu - maybe a third of a package, about a cup & half or so. It, along with the green onions, helped with the appearance. 'Think the (sesame) oil amount should be 1t. Huh, maybe not. With the addition of meat, you may want that much. Anyway, it was good & I think you should try it. It's not the prettiest dish you'll see, but it is very good. 'Kinda cute that the eggplant seeds look like sesame seeds on the finished product.

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