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Szechuan Style Eggplant

The recipe, also known as Fish-Fragrant Eggplant, was given to me by a Chinese friend. It consists of an aromatic sauce made with chili bean paste, soy sauce, black vinegar, and Szechuan pepper. This dish has been proven to be irresistible, even to people who claim to not like eggplant.

Ingredients

Serves: 4
• 2 long eggplants (ideally Japanese variety, about 400 gr.)
• 1 teaspoon salt for soaking cornstarch for coating

The Sauce:
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon black rice vinegar (Chinkiang)
• 5 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt for stir frying
• 3 tablespoons vegetable cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon pickled peppers, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon broad bean paste (Doubanjiang)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4-6 Szechuan peppercorns, ground (mouth-numbing effect)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 scallions (green onions), chopped

Steps

1. Wash eggplants and cut them into long strips (keep some skin on). Soak the strips in salty water for 15 minutes. Drain, dry well, and coat the strips with cornstarch (this is optional, but I recommend it because it helps the sauce to stick to the eggplants).
2. To make the sauce: Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or a large frying pan. Fry the eggplants in batches until slightly browned.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok, then add the chopped pepper and bean paste. Cook for 1 minute. Add garlic, pepper, ginger, and the white part of the scallions. Stir fry until fragrant.
5. Stir in the sauce. Cook for several minutes until the sauce thickens. Mix well. Make sure the eggplants are well coated.
6. Remove from wok to serving plates. Sprinkle with the chopped green part of the scallions.

Best served with:
Steamed jasmine or fragrant Thai rice. This magical sauce can turn plain steamed rice into something truly delicious.  

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