YUXIANGQIEZI RECIPES

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.

Steps:

• 1. Pour enough oil to cover the eggplant into a wok and put over high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, fry the eggplant pieces in batches until they begin to brown, about 3-4 minutes. 2. Remove, place on a paper towel to soak up excess oil and set aside. 3. Pour out most of the oil, leaving only a couple of tablespoons for the sauce. Add the doubanjiang and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and ginger, stir well, and fry for another minute or so. 4. Add the stock, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar and stir until the sauce is uniform. Simmer for a minute or two to allow the flavour to meld. 5. Add the eggplant, then the corn starch and stir gently. Add the green onions and stir one last time. 6. Remove from heat and splash on a small spoonful of sesame oil. * Recipe adapted from Fuschia Dunlop’s Sichuan Cuisine