Eggplant claypot is a great little Vietnamese eggplant dish which is easy to make. Full of classic Vietnamese flavors it’s healthy too. We will share with you everything you need to know about this Vietnamese Eggplant Claypot Recipe. It’s an easy dish to prepare and you do not need a claypot to make it!
Cycling around the dramatic crags of Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam is like being in “Halong Bay on Land”. Indeed, that is how many people describe it. I hope our Vietnamese eggplant recipe “transports” you to this magical place.
Making Eggplant Vietnamese Style
Vietnamese Eggplant Claypot is a heavier dish than most in Vietnam and is well suited to the cooler climate you experience in Ninh Binh. Any dish that features lemongrass, Asian eggplants, tomatoes, fish sauce and those fantastic herbs like Vietnamese mint and cilantro (coriander) is a winner. Asian eggplant recipes are well worth adding to your repertoire and would do great at a Vietnamese dinner party!
And for those of you who are vegetarians, this Vietnamese clay pot is a great option by just substituting the fish sauce for soy sauce or even an eggplant with garlic sauce. Just like that, you will have a tasty vegetarian eggplant claypot. All of these will make a lovely sauce for eggplant.
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In Hoi An, the acknowledged food capital of Vietnam, we prepared and ate this popular Vietnamese eggplant dish at the Red Dragon Cooking School. There are many regional variations of Vietnamese eggplant recipes and this recipe is our interpretation of what we ate in Ninh Binh.
And Ninh Binh? It is slightly off the tourist path but it won’t be for long! Read on to experience and learn more about idyllic Ninh Binh.
Idyllic Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh is home to rocky crags, with gorgeous rice fields carved in between them. It’s another slightly surreal place where you need to pinch yourself to make sure you are not dreaming. What a spectacular place.
It is also off the beaten tourist path. Vietnam is heavily populated in a small amount of space. In a word it is crowded!
Ninh Binh, Mai Chau, and Sapa are more rural than some of the other destinations we have featured in Vietnam. You can take advantage of that here and safely cycle around on quiet roads and lanes connecting some of the smaller villages and farmlands.
Activities in Ninh Binh
We enjoyed cycling every day here. We cycled as far and wide as we could manage. During one of our trips we just happened to stumble across this procession going on in the middle of nowhere. It is one of our favorite memories of Vietnam.
With a bicycle, we could also cycle through villages which were not on the major roads. You do get a different perspective of village life in the back streets and you can stop wherever you so desire.
Hiking is another activity you can comfortably undertake here. It’s a little cooler than the south and as you can see the landscape is spectacular. What isn’t there to like about hiking here?
During another of our cycling trips, we crossed a river which flows lazily through the rocky crags. As you can see, boating is a very popular activity for locals.
There are plenty of boats for hire at multiple locations where you can sit back and relax and take in the magnificent scenery.No need to do the paddling as that service comes with the boat. Note the unusual paddling style of the locals, where they employ their feet rather than their hands, thereby easing the strain on their backs. Smart!
On the weekends, Ninh Binh is a popular weekend getaway for residents of Hanoi, although still quiet compared to the rest of Vietnam. The boat hire businesses make a roaring trade. During the week it is sleepy, just how we like it.
You can read more about Ninh Binh here.
Vietnamese Eggplant Claypot Recipe
After all of that exercise, you need a good meal and one of our favorites is this Vietnamese eggplant claypot dish, a one of a kind Asian eggplant recipe!
Vietnamese eggplants are usually long and skinny, just like we saw in Turkey. But we also ate small pea-shaped eggplants which were minuscule (slighter bigger than a green pea). Any eggplant will work with for all Vietnamese eggplant recipes, just make sure you cut the eggplant into smallish, bite-size pieces. Don’t forget to add that eggplant soy sauce!
You don’t need to cook this Vietnamese eggplant recipe in a claypot. It’s a nice touch but it tastes just as good in a saucepan or casserole dish. That’s what makes this an easy Asian style eggplant dish!
Asian Style Eggplant Recipes
Now you know how to cook Asian eggplant to make a Vietnamese Eggplant dish!
And if you think this Asian eggplant dish is all too exotic, surprise yourself and try it. Asian cuisines are easy, quick to cook and healthy. And with all those herbs they’re full of flavor. You are bound to enjoy all Vietnamese clay pot recipes!
Give our eggplant clay pot recipe a try and let us know what you think.
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| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time |
| 4people | 10minutes | 15minutes |
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4people | 10minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 15minutes |
- 2 tsp peanut oil or coconut oil #
- 1 clove garlic #
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1 stem lemongrass pale, lower section, sliced thinly. Reserve stem #
- 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce #
- 1 tsp palm sugar or raw sugar
- 1 onion, green (spring) white and green part, cut into 1" (2.5cm) lengths #
- 2 eggplants long-Asian style, cut into 1" X 1/3" (2.5cm X 1cm) pieces #
- 1 red chili, long Asian style seeds removed, cut into short, thin strips #
- 1 pinch turmeric powder curry powder can be substituted #
- 1 pinch black pepper, ground
- Garnish
- 1 tbsp mint, Vietnamese finely chopped #
- 1 tbsp cilantro (coriander) finely chopped #
- 1 tbsp onions, green (spring) finely chopped #
- 1/2 tbsp red chilies, long Asian style sliced thinly #
|
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
|
- Put a stovetop-safe, medium size clay pot* on medium heat. Add the peanut oil. When warm, add the garlic and stir gently until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, lemongrass and two tbsp water and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add one tbsp of the fish sauce and the sugar. Mix well. Add the green onion and eggplants. Pour in a cup of water, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, mix well and bring to the boil.
- Add the red chili, turmeric, ground pepper and lemongrass stalk. Allow mixture to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender.in the claypot.
- Whilst the eggplant is cooking, make the garnish by simply mixing all of the sliced ingredients together. Garnish ingredients
- Remove the lemongrass stem and serve the eggplant mixture with steamed rice. Top with the garnish.
# Our free, Asian cooking guide includes a detailed catalog of typical Asian herbs, vegetables and ingredients (including close-up pictures). See the sidebar and the bottom of this post.
Don't despair if you don't have a clay pot! You can use a stovetop-safe casserole dish or a saucepan.
For lemongrass, only use the lower, pale portion of the stem (the first 3 or 4 inches) with the tough, outer leaves removed. Slice thinly across the stem. The upper part of the stem is great for flavoring stocks or for using as a skewer to cook meats. You can substitute with lemon peel.
You can substitute the 2 Asian-style eggplants with 1 egg-shaped eggplant.
This dish isn't overly spicy but if you dislike warm foods remove the seeds from the red chili in the garnish.
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Trisha Velarmino
These are my kind of blog posts! Been wanting to cook a Vietnamese dish for our cultural nights. This will be a good addition!
Editor
Trisha, there is another post that is a full Vietnamese Dinner Party complete with recipes. You can have an entire Vietnamese feast. You can find it here https://www.compassandfork.com/recipe/perfect-vietnamese-dinner-party/
Evan keistine
Oh yummy! I love cooking in clay oit, makes the taste intruiging! This recipe looks grand, migh test it today! ❤️
Editor
Evan, Agree about the clay pot, amazing how many places use it! Hope you enjoy it- it is very tasty!
Gemma
What an appealing article. I love the backstory before the recipe. I love to cycle, so many benefits when abroad. Ninh Binh certainly does look like Halong Bay on land, less garbage floating about too I hope!
Editor
Gemma, It is a very scenic area and we loved we could get around by bike, it has it’s touristy aspects but worth the trip!
Mary Charie | Two Monkeys Travel
I’m a secret food porn warrior and will be heading to Vietnam soon! Will definitely try this one! I’m crazy trying new dishes across the world!
Editor
Mary, Agree sometimes I think we just eat our way around the world! It definitely shapes our itinerary! And it is great to eat them at home and remember the trip!
Mar
Yum I think I would like that. I guess you do need the cycling and trekking to be able to enjoy the delicious food!
Editor
Mar, every little bit helps! 🙂 It is a great way to see the country though as well.
Erin
This looks amazing. A perfect dish for me try now that the weather is cooling off here in Pittsburgh.
Editor
Hi Erin. Thanks for your comment. Yes this dish is quite warming (but not too spicy). Good for fall!
Karla (Karla Around The World)
I am such fan of Asian cuisine, so having come across your recipe really made my day. I will be making these soon with my friends.
Editor
Thanks Karla. Always nice to receive feedback like that. I love the contrast of tastes you manage to get from the one dish.
James | The Globe Wanderers
I sadly never made it here when travelling round Vietnam. This looks like an epic recipe. Perfect for a cold day back home to send my taste buds through the roof 🙂 Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try my hand at it.
Editor
Thanks for your comment James. Ninh Binh is a little off the beaten tourist path. It is a good excuse to return to Vietnam though! Enjoy the eggplant.
Tami
The food looks very appetizing – great idea to include a recipe. I also enjoyed your photos. All the green and that peaceful-looking water are very appealing!
Editor
Thanks for your comment Tami. I pinch myself when I look at some of those photos. It truly is a spectacular place.
Chris
Oh, how I’m salivating thinking of Vietnamese food (it’s been so long)!
Such beautiful photos of one of the few places in Vietnam we’ve not visited.
One of my favourite countries! 🙂
Editor
Chris, thanks for your comment.
Vietnam is a great place isn’t it? We loved the food there as you can tell. And all very affordable.
IttyBittyFoodies
What an amazing blog you have. Love travel and food especially Asian food. I’m always looking to expand the palates of my little ones
http://www.ittybittyfoodies.com
Editor
Thanks very much for your kind comment. Use some chopsticks. That will get your little ones interested in Asian food! Cheers….Mark
Tania | My Kitchen Stories
Wow I loved this. Yes I love the eggplant claypot too but the journey through Ninh Binh was amazing and I want to go
Editor
Tania, you will love Vietnam. Ninh Binh was a highlight (a little quieter than other parts of the country). We will be covering Vietnam for the rest of October. You can catch all of our Vietnamese posts here. Thanks for your comment.