Eggplant Szechuan Style | food comas

When my Dad came to visit, he cooked this delicious side dish of Asian eggplant stir-fried with ginger, garlic, and the necessary Szechuan ingredient — hot bean paste.  Compared to American eggplants, Chinese eggplants are long and slender with thinner skins and a more delicate flavor.  You should be able to find in your local Chinatown; however, Japanese eggplants are a bit more common to find in American grocery stores.  Japanese eggplants are a bit less sweet than Chinese eggplants but will work just as well in this recipe.

Szechuan cuisin originated from the Sichuan Province of southwestern China and is very distinct in its liberal use of garlic and chili peppers.  Hot bean paste is a common condiment and is made from fermented soybeans and hot chilies. And here are some other Szechuan-style recipe suggestions: Szechuan Braised Rabbit with Tofu and Peanuts and Chinese Mabo Tofu.

Eggplant Szechuan Style

Ingredients:

• 4 Chinese eggplants
• 1/2 T ginger, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 T hot bean paste
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1/2 T brown sugar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 C soup stock
• 1/2 T sesame oil
• 6 T vegetable oil
• 1 T green onions, chopped

Directions:

Remove the stalk from the eggplant and without peeling, cut into thumb sized slices.  Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan until very hot.  Add the eggplant, turn the heat to low, and stir fry until the eggplant is soft (about 3 minutes).  Press the eggplant to squeeze out the excess oil — eggplants are notorious for absorbing immense amounts of oil like a sponge.  Remove the eggplant from the pan to a paper toweled covered plates to drain and set aside.

In the same wok, add chopped garlic, ginger and hot bean paste and stir until fragrant.  Add the soy sauce, sugars, salt, and soup stock and bring to a boil.

Add the eggplant and cook about 1 minute until the sauce is absorbed.  Add vinegar and sesame oil until heated thoroughly.

Remove from heat and gently stir in the chopped green onions.  Enjoy with some rice and pair it with a light main dish, such as Chinese-Style Steamed Fish!