Last Updated on July 6, 2025 by Simon Fan
Pounding food with mortars and pestles is a very old way of food preparation that dates back tens of thousands of years. It’s still popular in many parts of China. In Yunnan Province, for example, the locals are ingenious at using their stone or wooden tools to create a dazzling array of pounded dishes (called chong cai 舂菜), using ingredients such as dried and cured beef, fried crabs, and boiled chicken feet together with a unique mix of local herbs and aromatics.
Our featured recipe, pounded eggplant and chili peppers (擂椒茄子), is a beloved summer dish in Hunan and the neighboring provinces. Easy and fun to make and incredibly flavorful and indulgent, it elevates steamed eggplant to a new level—pounding with a mortar and pestle creates a creamier texture and allows the eggplant to easily absorb flavors from the harmonious blend of peppers, garlic, and seasonings. Sometimes pickled duck eggs (pidan 皮蛋) is added to the mix for an extra dimension of flavor and texture.
When making the dish, go easy with the pounding because you want to create a coarse, chunky paste rather than a very smooth one. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, place the ingredients in a bowl and use the back of a spoon instead to crush and combine.
You need Chinese eggplant for this recipe. Compared with other varieties, Chinese eggplant has more delicate skin and flesh, a milder flavor, and fewer seeds (which means less bitter taste). You can find Chinese eggplant at Asian grocery stores. Japanese eggplant works well too. Try my other dishes featuring Chinese eggplant here and here.
Pounded eggplant and chili peppers, Hunan style (擂椒茄子)
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 medium Chinese eggplant, about 7 oz (200 g)
3 Thai chilis
1 oz (30 g) green peppers, such as Serrano
2 to 3 garlic cloves
Sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon Zhenjiang vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable or chili oil
Directions
- Quarter the eggplant lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths. Steam the eggplant pieces in a steamer over high heat until tender, about 10 minutes.
- While the eggplant is cooking, halve the Thai chilis lengthwise, remove the seeds, and then cut into approximately ⅛-inch (3 mm) dice.
- Halve the green peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place them in a skillet, cut side up, and roast over medium heat until blistered in spots, about 2 minutes. Cut them into approximately ⅛-inch (3 mm) dice.
- Mince the garlic cloves or pound them into a paste with the mortar and pestle.
- In a small bowl, combine the peppers and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the sauce.
- Transfer the cooked eggplant pieces to the mortar. Pour in the sauce and top with the pepper and garlic mixture. Use the pestle to crush the eggplant and combine, mixing with a spoon from time to time, until you get a coarse paste and the flavors are well blended. Mix in the oil and enjoy!
