Sichuan Style Yuxiang Aubergine Recipes

YU XIANG QIE ZI (SICHUAN EGGPLANT)

Steps:

• Roll cut washed eggplants into long strips (try to keep some skin on each one). Then soak the eggplant strips in salty water for around 15 minutes. Move out and drain. Coat with starch (optional but I recommend using since this helps the sauce attaching on the eggplants)
• Prepare a bowl; mix all the ingredients for stir fry sauce. Then set aside.
• Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in wok or a pan and fry the eggplants until slightly browned by batches.
• Heat another 1 tablespoon of oil in wok, and fry mince pork until crisp and browned. Add doubanjiang and chopped pepper to continue cooking for 1 minute for red oil. Add garlic, chopped peppers, green onion white part and ginger to stir-fry for the aroma.
• Stir in the sauce. Cook for a while until the sauce is thickened. Mix well and make sure the eggplants are well coated.
• Move from wok, sprinkle chopped green onion! I highly recommend serving this with steamed rice. The magic sauce can turn plain steamed rice into something extremely delicious.

SICHUAN-STYLE YUXIANG AUBERGINE

Steps:

• Tip the minced soy into a bowl, pour over 400ml hot boiling water from the kettle. Fluff up the grains. Set aside for 5 mins.
• Stir all the ingredients for the sauce in a jug. Set aside until needed.
• Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking, then add 1 tbsp rapeseed oil. Add the aubergines and cook, stirring, for 5 mins, until browned. As you cook it, keep adding drops of water, up to about 50ml in total. This will create steam to help soften the aubergine (rather than frying it in lots of oil). Repeat this process about three times until the aubergines have softened.
• Push the aubergine to the far side of the wok (away from you). Add the remaining 1 tbsp rapeseed oil. Add the Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger and chilli, and stir for a few seconds, then toss into the aubergines. Push this all to one side of the wok, then add the rehydrated minced soy and stir for 30 seconds. Season with the dark soy sauce, chilli bean paste and shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. Pour over the sauce from the jug and bring to the bubble, cooking for 1-2 mins on high heat until the sauce thickens. Give it a final mix. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle over the spring onions and serve immediately with jasmine rice.

YUXIANG ROUSI (CHINESE SICHUAN-STYLE PORK)

Steps:

• Pour boiling water over cloud ears and soak for 20-30 minutes.
• Cut pork 'silk' style (into strips about 2 inches long and 1/16-inch thick--this is easier to do with meat that has been in the freezer for 20 minutes), marinate with 1 T soy sauce and 2 t cornstarch about 15 minutes.
• Cut scallions into small rounds, keeping white and green parts separate. Sliver water chestnuts, then drain cloud ears and sliver them as well. (When the dish is prepared, the shape of the pork, water chestnut, and cloud ear strips should be the same.).
• Combine seasoning sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Heat wok until smoking, add peanut oil, swirl to heat, add garlic and toss a moment until fragrant. Then add ginger and white parts of scallions and stir-fry until fragrant. Stir in the bean paste, then add pork, cloud ears, and water chestnuts and stir-fry until the pork is cooked. As you are stir-frying, splash the wine into the wok along the sides, allowing it to sizzle as you continue to stir.
• Finally add the seasoning sauce, stir thoroughly, and serve.
• Serves 4 as part of a Chinese meal, with rice, soup, and 2-3 other dishes.

SZECHUAN STYLE EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Steps:

• Cook eggplant in 2-3 tbsp oil in a large deep skillet until tender (add a little more oil or water if necessary- it will cook down with the amount of oil stated but with a nicely hot wok, there may be a little smoke involved, but don't worry, turn on the hood exhaust because it just adds to the flavor).
• While eggplant is cooking, mix soy sauce, sugar, and broth together in a small bowl till sugar dissolves.
• Remove eggplant from skillet when cooked and keep warm.
• Heat garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger in 1 tbsp oil until aromatic.
• Stir in the water chestnuts and half of the scallions along with the eggplant and the soy sauce mixture.
• Stir and cook until the soy sauce is absorbed into the eggplant (this may take several minutes).
• Add the vinegar, sesame oil, and remaining scallions, stirring to mix.
• Serve hot, garnished with sesame seeds.