Eggplant in Garlic Sauce Recipe (Sichuan Yu Xiang Qie Zi)

By Souped Up Recipes · 45 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Blend 4 tbsp duo jiao (chili paste) and 2 tbsp Pixian doubanjiang into a puree, then sieve to remove seeds.
2. Mix 1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tbsp sugar into a sauce and set aside.
3. Cut the eggplant into strips about 2.5 inches long. Spray with white vinegar and toss to coat. Dust with 2 tbsp cornstarch and toss until coated.
4. Mince 6 garlic cloves and 2 tsp ginger, and dice 3 scallions, keeping the white and green parts separate.
5. Cook the eggplant by steaming for about 12 minutes, or by deep-frying in 2 to 3 batches in 360°F oil for a few minutes until bendable, then drain.
6. Remove most of the oil, leaving 2 to 3 tbsp in the wok and heat until smoking. Add the ground pork and break it into small loose bits until it changes color.
7. Lower the heat, push the pork aside, and cook the garlic, ginger and scallion whites in the oil released by the pork until fragrant. Add the chili paste and stir on low heat until the oil turns red-orange.
8. Pour in the sauce and the cornstarch water (3/4 cup water mixed with 1 tsp cornstarch), bring to a slight simmer and cook a couple of minutes until thick.
9. Return the eggplant to the wok and stir on low heat for a couple of minutes. Taste and adjust, then sprinkle with the reserved scallion greens.

Summarized from Souped Up Recipes's video. Watch it for the details.

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