Fish-Fragrant Eggplant

Fish-Fragrant Eggplant

A classic Sichuan dish featuring tender eggplant in a sweet, sour, and slightly spicy sauce, mimicking 'fish fragrance' without fish.

#eggplant#Sichuan#main dish
Spicy:
🌶️🌶️

Ingredients

  • 2 eggplants (about 1 lb)
  • 100g ground pork
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp doubanjiang (spicy bean paste)
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 small piece ginger (minced)
  • 2 stalks green onions (cut into sections)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Steps

  1. Cut eggplants into strips and soak in lightly salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
  2. Heat oil in a wok, pan-fry eggplant until golden. Remove and set aside.
  3. In the same wok, stir-fry ground pork until browned. Add garlic, ginger, and doubanjiang, and sauté until fragrant.
  4. Pour in light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, then add eggplant and stir to combine.
  5. Mix cornstarch with water to make a slurry, add to the wok, and stir until the sauce thickens.
  6. Add green onions and sesame oil (if using), toss a few times, and serve.

Tips

Use slightly more oil when frying eggplant to prevent excessive absorption. Adjust sauce ratio (1 sugar:1 vinegar:2 soy sauce) to taste.