Asian Ratatouille

Bringing Asian spices to a classic Italian dish to create Asian ratatouille. This vegetarian dish is simmered with Asian seasonings and finished with a creamy cilantro yogurt sauce for a cozy meal.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Anaheim peppers: Mild, sweet chili peppers with a long, narrow shape. Poblano peppers or mild green bell peppers can be used as substitutes.
• Japanese eggplant: A slender, elongated eggplant variety with a thinner skin than common eggplants. It has a sweet and mild flavor. Chinese or Italian eggplants are suitable alternatives.
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste is a concentrated form of tomatoes, cooked down to a thick, rich consistency. It adds depth and intensity to sauces and stews.
• Szechuan peppercorns: Szechuan peppercorns are not true peppercorns but dried berries with a unique citrusy and numbing flavor. Pink or black peppercorns can be used as a substitute. While they won't replicate the numbing effect, they provide a similar peppery flavor.
• Five spice powder: A blend of ground spices, typically star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan (or regular) peppercorns, and fennel seeds.
• Turmeric: A bright yellow spice with a warm, slightly bitter taste.
• Shaoxing wine: A Chinese rice wine used for cooking. It adds depth of flavor and is a common ingredient in many Chinese dishes. If you can't find Shaoxing wine, use dry sherry instead.
• Greek yogurt: To create a thick cilantro yogurt sauce, use Greek yogurt. Regular yogurt or strained yogurt will produce a sauce with a thinner consistency.

Substitutions and variations

• Vegetables: You can add extra vegetables such as summer squash or kale.
• Spicy: For a spicy kick, add chili oil or red chili flakes to the ratatouille.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Saute vegetables

Ratatouille is a dish made with love. It takes time to cook down the vegetables and let them marry together. However, it's one of the most comforting vegetarian meals I know.

This Asian ratatouille is a bit different than the classic French dish because it uses Asian spices to flavor the vegetables. We're also going to finish the stew with a creamy cilantro yogurt sauce to add another element. Ready to get started?

Before you start cooking, prepare all of the vegetables. Chop the vegetables including red bell peppers, red onion, Anaheim bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and potato into a small dice. You want to cut them all about the same size.

Then, heat oil in a large saute pan and saute the red onion and both peppers until softened. Season them with salt and pepper and set aside.

In the same pan, saute the zucchini and potatoes until softened. We cook the vegetables in different batches because certain vegetables take longer than others. Eggplant takes quite a long time to soften, so we will cook it last and separately from the others.

Make sure to season each of the vegetables with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Add spices

Remove the eggplant and saute garlic and ginger until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the spices including tomato paste, cumin, ground Szechuan peppercorns, five-spice powder, and turmeric. Let the tomato paste caramelize to deepen the flavors. Don't worry if it gets stuck to the bottom of the pan, we'll deglaze it with wine.

Next, add chopped tomatoes and Shaoxing wine. If you can't find Shaoxing wine, substitute it with sherry wine. If tomatoes are not in season, you can use canned tomatoes instead.

Bring to a simmer and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the bottom of the pan to release any tomato paste stuck to the pan. Continue to simmer until the tomatoes break down and soften.

Add back the cooked vegetables along with soy sauce, sugar, and just enough water to partially cover the vegetables. I found that 1 cup was just the right amount. Season the Asian ratatouille with salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.

Remove the lid and transfer the vegetables to a roasting pan. You can also transfer the entire pot to the oven if you're using a Dutch oven. Continue roasting the ratatouille in the oven until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. This is the final stage of letting those deep flavors develop.

Step 3: Make cilantro yogurt sauce

While the stew is finishing up, make the cilantro yogurt sauce. All you have to do is blend cilantro with yogurt, lime juice, and garlic in a Vitamix. Season with salt and pepper and set it aside.

Portion the Asian ratatouille into bowls, drizzle the cilantro yogurt sauce on top and finish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro. Enjoy the dish with rice or with crusty bread as I did.

Can you smell all those wonderful flavors? I couldn't wait to dive right in. I can't even begin to tell you how comforting this meal was. And luckily, it was filling enough for even the husband!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: Like most stews, this Asian ratatouille tastes better the next day after the flavors have melded together. You can also prepare the cilantro yogurt sauce the day before.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Frequently asked questions

More Asian vegetarian recipes

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Recipe

Print Recipe

Asian Ratatouille

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: vegetarian

Servings: 6

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Ratatouille

• 6 tablespoons oil divided
• 1 red onion diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 3 Anaheim peppers diced
• 1 zucchini diced
• 1 Idaho potato peeled and diced
• 1 Japanese eggplant diced
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons ginger minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground Szechuan peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon five spice powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 large tomatoes peeled and chopped
• ⅓ cup Shaoxing wine
• 1 cup water or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Cilantro yogurt sauce

• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 cup Greek yogurt plain
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 garlic clove
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan or Dutch over medium heat. Add chopped onion, bell peppers, and Anaheim peppers and saute until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In the same pan, heat another tablespoon oil. Add chopped zucchini and potato and cover the pot. Cook until potatoes begin to soften, about 6-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In the same pan, heat another 2 tablespoons oil. Add chopped eggplant and saute until beginning to soften, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In the same pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add tomato paste, cumin, Szechuan peppercorns, five spice, and turmeric, stirring to combine. Continue to saute until tomato paste is caramelized, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes and Shaoxing wine. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until tomatoes break down and soften. Add cooked vegetables, soy sauce and sugar, stirring to combine. Add just enough water to cover partially the vegetables, about 1 cup. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make cilantro yogurt sauce. Blend together cilantro, yogurt, lime juice, and garlic until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Remove lid and transfer vegetables to roasting pan and roast for 40-45 minutes or until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from oven and give ratatouille final seasoning if needed. Transfer ratatouille to serving bowls and drizzle cilantro yogurt sauce on top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with rice or crusty bread.

Notes

Like most stews, this Asian ratatouille tastes better the next day after the flavors have melded together.

The cilantro yogurt sauce can be prepared the day before.