Mapo Eggplant Pasta
By Maggie ZhuPublished on August 11, 2025
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can substitute Japanese eggplant for the Chinese eggplant in this recipe but we don’t recommend substituting Globe or Italian eggplant. Doubanjiang or toban djan is also known as broad bean chili paste (or sauce); look for brands from the Pixian district online. Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Sauce is a good supermarket option. We love using LAOGANMA Spicy Chili Crisp in this recipe. If using other brands, try to find a neutral one that has onion or garlic for crunch but does not include fermented black beans. Depending on your heat tolerance, use the larger or smaller end of the range of the chili crisp. Using a roll cut to cut the eggplant creates pieces that cook evenly—learn more (and see a visual) here.
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 8 ounce pasta and ½ tablespoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
- Meanwhile, grind 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns using mortar and pestle until finely ground; set aside. Trim stem end of 1 pound Japanese eggplant. Hold knife at about 45 degree angle relative to eggplant and cut 1½ inches from end. Roll eggplant towards you until cut side is facing up then cut again 1½ inches from end at same angle. Repeat rolling and cutting. (Eggplant pieces should be roughly triangular in shape.)
- Cook 8 ounces 80 percent beef and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, about 6 minutes, breaking up meat with spoon. Stir in 3 tablespoons doubanjiang, 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, and 4 thinly sliced scallion whites and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, scraping up any brown bits. Stir in eggplant, 2 cups chicken broth, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Bring to boil over high heat then cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer vigorously until eggplant is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water together in small bowl until fully dissolved. Stir into sauce in skillet and cook, uncovered, until sauce has thickened, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer sauce to pot with pasta along with 2 tablespoons chili crisp and remaining 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns; toss to combine. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Sprinkle with thinly sliced greens of 4 scallions. Serve.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
This pasta is grounded in the rich, comforting flavors of mapo tofu, a signature dish of Sichuan province made up of a braise of custardy tofu cloaked in a garlicky, spicy meat sauce. For this recipe, we kept the bold flavor and balanced spiciness—thanks to a combination of numbing Sichuan peppercorns and fermented doubanjiang (broad bean chili paste)—but swapped Chinese eggplant in for the tofu. The eggplant cooks up to a silken texture and adds a creamy contrast to the potent sauce, which we thickened to velvety consistency with a cornstarch slurry. The sauce paired perfectly with pasta for a hearty weeknight meal.
Before You Begin
You can substitute Japanese eggplant for the Chinese eggplant in this recipe but we don’t recommend substituting Globe or Italian eggplant. Doubanjiang or toban djan is also known as broad bean chili paste (or sauce); look for brands from the Pixian district online. Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Sauce is a good supermarket option. We love using LAOGANMA Spicy Chili Crisp in this recipe. If using other brands, try to find a neutral one that has onion or garlic for crunch but does not include fermented black beans. Depending on your heat tolerance, use the larger or smaller end of the range of the chili crisp. Using a roll cut to cut the eggplant creates pieces that cook evenly—learn more (and see a visual) here.
Instructions
- Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 8 ounce pasta and ½ tablespoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
- Meanwhile, grind 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns using mortar and pestle until finely ground; set aside. Trim stem end of 1 pound Japanese eggplant. Hold knife at about 45 degree angle relative to eggplant and cut 1½ inches from end. Roll eggplant towards you until cut side is facing up then cut again 1½ inches from end at same angle. Repeat rolling and cutting. (Eggplant pieces should be roughly triangular in shape.)
- Cook 8 ounces 80 percent beef and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, about 6 minutes, breaking up meat with spoon. Stir in 3 tablespoons doubanjiang, 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, and 4 thinly sliced scallion whites and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, scraping up any brown bits. Stir in eggplant, 2 cups chicken broth, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Bring to boil over high heat then cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer vigorously until eggplant is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water together in small bowl until fully dissolved. Stir into sauce in skillet and cook, uncovered, until sauce has thickened, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer sauce to pot with pasta along with 2 tablespoons chili crisp and remaining 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns; toss to combine. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Sprinkle with thinly sliced greens of 4 scallions. Serve.
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