Looking for the best homemade Thai Eggplant recipe?
Thai Basil Eggplant is one of our favourite easy stir fry recipes to cook at home when craving a tasty vacation to Thailand.
This quick & easy Thai Eggplant recipe features common ingredients you’ll find in your pantry and is ready to serve in under an hour.
You’ll love cooking our flavourful Thai Eggplant recipe featuring cornstarch, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Maggi sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, Thai basil leaves, That red chili and scallion.
Save this story to Pinterest!
Travel to Thailand by Cooking Thai Basil Eggplant at Home
I love traveling to Asia.
My first visit had me living in South Korea for a year as a teacher and it’s where I was first introduced to fermented vegetables like kimchi.
After my contract ended in Seoul I travelled throughout southeast Asia for 6 months, visiting India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Macau and the Maldives.
On my first visit I spent over a month backpacking through Thailand. I’ve revisited Thailand two times since as a food and travel journalist and always love to discover new regional dishes. Over the years I’ve explored Thai destinations such as Ko Phi Phi, Krabi, Chiang Khong, Chang Mai, Sukothai and Bangkok.
What I found most fascinating is Thailand’s distinct regional food cultures. Much like the regional cuisines found in Germany, Italy or Spain, each town in Thailand had its own local speciality.
You May Also Enjoy Reading…
- Things to Do When Beach Hopping in Thailand
- Phulay Bay Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Krabi
- Amari Vogue Krabi Luxury Resort in Thailand
- Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui
- The Tongsai Bay Luxury Resort in Koh Samui
- W Koh Samui Luxury Resort in Thailand
- Amari Resort Koh Samui in Thailand
- Amari Phuket Luxury Resort in Thailand
- 10 Must Try Tastes in Thailand
Where To Eat A Traditional Thai Eggplant Recipe
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Thai restaurant that serves traditional Thai Basil Eggplant Stir Fry.
Haven’t traveled to Thailand before? It may be helpful to first sample authentic eggplant stir fry at a local Thai restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You can also assess the ideal texture of the eggplant, sauce to eggplant ratio and spiciness level.
I spent months researching the best Thai restaurants in Toronto, visiting popular restaurants that serve authentic Thai dishes such as Sabai Sabai, Sukothai, Khao San Road, Pai, Kiin, Bangkok Garden, Mengrai Thai and Favorites Thai BBQ. If you’re looking to feast on a yummy Thai eggplant recipe in Toronto try visiting one of these award-winning restaurants for inspiration.
My Family Loves Thai Basil Eggplant Stir Fry
I love cooking Thai food for my family!
I knew my family would love this healthy Thai side dish as we’re always looking for creative ways to get more vegetables into our diet.
Important to note that this meatless stir fry is not vegan or vegetarian as the sauce is prepared with fish sauce and oyster sauce.
If you’re hosting friends or family for a dinner party this Thai Eggplant recipe is an excellent vegetable side dish to be served alongside rice, noodles and curry.
We love enjoying Thai Basil Eggplant leftovers as a healthy lunch simply served with steamed jasmine rice.
Health Benefits
Our homemade Thai eggplant recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Eggplants are a nutrient dense food that contain a good amount of vitamins, minerals and fibre in few calories. It’s a good source of manganese, folate, potassium, vitamin K and C.
A useful source of copper, calcium, manganese, and phosphorus, sesame seeds help support circulatory, digestive and skeletal health.
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Ginger contains at least 14 phytochemicals, many of which have impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a good source of copper, which supports your bones, blood and nervous system.
The eugenol in basil can block calcium channels, which may help to lower blood pressure. The essential oils in the herb can help to lower your cholesterol and triglycerides. Basil also contains magnesium, which can help to improve blood flow by allowing muscles and blood vessels to relax.
Scallions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Chili has been proven to help reduce the duration of sickness, prevent heart disease, and promote weight loss.
Cooking Tips
This easy Stir-Fried Thai Eggplant recipe is quick and easy to make at home.
- We have used long and slender Japanese eggplants in this dish. When sliced they are the perfect size to pick up with chopsticks. You can also prepare the recipe with Thai eggplants if you can find them at your local Asian supermarket. They are the world’s smallest eggplant variety and typically served in Thai Green Curry.
- We suggest using a large wok to stir fry Thai Basil Eggplant.
- We’ve used a Thai red chili in this recipe to give it a little heat. If you can’t handle spicy food feel free to remove the chili seeds or omit the ingredient entirely.
- We suggest doubling the recipe so you can enjoy leftovers later in week. The dish keeps in the fridge for 4-5 days in an airtight container.
What To Serve with Thai Basil Eggplant
We love serving this homemade Thai eggplant recipe simply with steamed rice or noodles.
If you’re hosting a large dinner party or Thai-inspired potluck you might want to serve our Thai Basil Eggplant Stir Fry with other dishes from Thailand like Thai Pork Rib Soup with Vermicelli, Egg Tofu Soup with Pork Meatballs, Grabong Northern Thai Pumpkin Fritters, Gai Pad Med Mamuang Thai Cashew Chicken, Gaeng Masaman Beef Curry, Nam Tok Authentic Thai “Waterfall Beef” Salad, Gaeng Keow Wan Thai Green Curry Chicken, Thai Pork & Beef Mince Curry Khua Kling, Chiang Mai Noodles “Khao Soi”, Pad Kra Pao Thai Basil Stir-Fry and Thai Beef and Pumpkin Curry.
After dinner why not dazzle your guests with one of our popular desserts such as Oat Flour Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Cookies, Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes Recipe or Cinnamon Babka.
You May Also Enjoy These Asian Recipes….
- Filipino Spicy Coconut Chicken Wing Stew
- Laos Papaya Salad Tum Mak Hoong
- Spicy Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup
- Chinese Wonton Egg Drop Soup
- Chinese Ginger Garlic Soup Recipe for Colds
- Green Onion Cake Cong You Bing
- Vegan Chinese Cucumber Salad
- Osaka Okonomiyaki Japanese Cabbage Pancake
- Buchimgae Buchu-Jeon Korean Chive Pancake
- Spicy Gukbap Korean Rice & Beef Soup
- Spicy Pork Bibimbap
- Baked Korean Gochujang Chicken Wings
- Bun Cha Healthy Vietnamese Noodle Bowl
- Vietnamese Grilled Pork “Bun Thit Nuong”
- Goi Xoai Vietnamese Mango Salad
- Goi Ga Vietnamese Salad
- Shrimp & Pork Vietnamese Egg Rolls
- Vietnamese Crepe Bánh Xèo
How To Make The Best Thai Eggplant Recipe
Basil Garlic Stir-Fry Thai Eggplant Recipe
Equipment
- Wok
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon
- French knife
- baking sheet
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 2 lb Chinese or Japanese Eggplant
- Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 10 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tsp Fresh Ginger grated
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Maggi Sauce
- 1 tsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp Fish Sauce
- 1 cup Thai Basil Leaves
- 1 Thai red chili sliced
- 1 Scallion sliced
Instructions
- Slice Japanese eggplant on the diagonal 3/4 to 1 inch thick, larger pieces cut in half lengthwise.
- Put the eggplant in a colander in the sink or over a bowl, toss with approximately tablespoon of salt, and set aside to drain for about 45 minutes. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly, pat dry, and transfer to a large bowl.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch over the eggplant and toss to coat. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add just enough eggplant to create a single layer so that no slices overlap. Cook, flipping once, until the eggplant is golden and a bit charred in places, 2-1/2 to 3 minutes total. Transfer the eggplant to a paper-towel-lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
- Wipe the pan clean, then add the sesame oil over low heat. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Return the eggplant to the pan.
- Add the Thai basil leaves, red chili, soy sauce, Maggi sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce then toss to combine, about 1 minute.
- Serve topped with the sliced scallion.
Nutrition
Some of the links in this story use affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through our site, Dobbernationloves will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us to produce comprehensive content.
Save this story to Pinterest!
