Adding unsweetened coconut milk (a staple in southern Vietnam) to the eggplant after it's stir-fried keeps the texture silky. Charles Phan is a James Beard Award-winning, Vietnamese-American chef.

Fried, sauced and covered with cheese, chicken and eggplant parm (parmesan or parmigiana, if you’re fancy) are comforting, craveable classics. The eggplant version has its roots in Southern ...