Fish-Fragrant Eggplant

Fish-Fragrant Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qiezi)

A Sichuan classic where silky aubergine is fried until tender, then tossed in a glossy, pungent sauce built on pickled chillies, garlic, ginger and vinegar. The 'fish-fragrant' name refers to the seasoning blend traditionally used for whole fish, not to any fish in the dish.

Prep

15 min

Cook

20 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (1 lb 5 oz) Chinese (long) aubergines, Chinese purple eggplants if you can find them; otherwise slim Mediterranean aubergines, halved lengthwise and cut into 5 cm batons
• •30 g (¼ cup) Pixian doubanjiang (chilli bean paste), do not substitute with Korean gochujang; the flavour is different
• •15 g (1 tbsp) Pao la jiao or doubanjiang broad-bean paste, optional but traditional; adds depth
• •25 g (about 6 cloves) garlic, finely minced
• •20 g (1 heaped tbsp) fresh ginger, finely minced
• •15 g (3 scallion whites) scallions, white parts only, cut into 1 cm pieces
• •250 ml (1 cup) neutral oil, for frying, e.g. canola or groundnut; enough to shallow-fry
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) Chinkiang black vinegar, do not substitute with Western balsamic or distilled white vinegar
• •20 g (1 tbsp) caster sugar
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) light soy sauce
• •5 ml (1 tsp) dark soy sauce, for colour; optional
• •5 g (1 tsp) cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 15 ml cold water
• •60 ml (¼ cup) water or unsalted chicken stock, stock gives a fuller flavour
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine salt, for drawing moisture from the aubergine

Steps

1. 1 Cut the aubergines into batons about 5 cm long and 1.5 cm thick. Toss with the 2 g salt and leave in a colander for 10 minutes to draw out moisture; pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. This step reduces oil absorption during frying.
2. 2 Mix the sauce in a small bowl: Chinkiang vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce (if using), and the 60 ml water or stock. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Keep the cornflour slurry separate.
3. 3 Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat until it reaches about 170 °C / 340 °F (a wooden chopstick should bubble steadily around the tip). Fry the aubergine in two batches, 2 to 3 minutes per batch, until the pieces are pale golden, limp and cooked through. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper; reserve about 30 ml of the frying oil in the wok.
4. 4 Lower the heat to medium. Add the doubanjiang and, if using, the broad-bean paste to the reserved oil and stir-fry for about 1 minute until the oil turns red and fragrant.
5. 5 Add the garlic, ginger and scallion whites and stir-fry for 20 to 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
6. 6 Pour in the sauce mixture and bring to a vigorous simmer, stirring. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavours and reduce slightly.
7. 7 Return the fried aubergine to the wok and gently toss to coat. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes so the aubergine soaks up the sauce.
8. 8 Give the cornflour slurry a stir and stream it in while tossing. Cook for 30 seconds until the sauce is glossy and lightly thickened; it should still pool loosely in the wok, not become a thick glaze.
9. 9 Taste and adjust with a pinch more sugar or vinegar if needed. The final sauce should be a balanced sweet-sour-salty-spicy with pronounced garlic and ginger.
10. 10 Serve immediately with steamed rice, in a shallow bowl so the sauce can be spooned over the rice.