Eggplant, 'char siu' style from Tenderheart: A Book About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds (page 193) by Hetty Lui McKinnon

  • five-spice powder
    This classic Chinese five spice mix unites the five flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory. Based on the traditional philosophy of balancing yin and yang, Chinese five spice complements fatty meats like pork belly, goose, and duck. (The Spice House) Buy Now
  • maple syrup
    Buy Now
  • Show all ingredients...
  • Serves : 4

  • EYB Comments

    Can substitute tamari for soy sauce; Shaoxing rice wine for rice vinegar; honey or brown sugar for maple syrup; and cauliflower, mushrooms, or extra-firm tofu for eggplants.

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Can substitute tamari for soy sauce; Shaoxing rice wine for rice vinegar; honey or brown sugar for maple syrup; and cauliflower, mushrooms, or extra-firm tofu for eggplants.

  • RRuth on January 29, 2026

    Very nice and extremely easy like many recipes in this lovely book

  • prkrgrant on January 02, 2026

    Enjoyed this quite a bit. Think it would be good in or on other dishes, as a standalone not quite enough going on. But very easy, very tasty, and was a good way to easily use up some extra eggplant.

  • pomona on June 25, 2025

    A bit sweet, but pretty tasty. I used the same marinade for roasting some firm tofu slices, too.

  • bfurrow on January 07, 2025

    I don’t think I like Chinese 5 spice. This recipe was a miss for me.

  • Lsblackburn1 on December 11, 2024

    This was just okay for me. I wanted it to be saucier or juicier or just more delicious. Served over rice.

  • cheffreddie on November 14, 2023

    A super easy recipe to add some vegetarian oomph to your dinner! This came out great with the generic, out-of-season globe eggplants from my grocery store. My husband is not an eggplant fan but ate several slices happily. Love having a hands-off oven recipe so I can use my stovetop for other side dishes (in this case, we paired it with Hetty's Soy Butter Bok Choy noodles).

  • patioweather on October 31, 2023

    I put these in frozen bao buns. This will likely become my regular eggplant dish because the texture gets chewy so my partner who doesn't like eggplant ate it happily. Next time, I will score or slice the skin so that you can bite chunks of it without the entire slice sliding out of the bao. (That wouldn't be an issue if it's served on rice the way she suggests.)

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