It was serendipitous that the same week, my blogging friends Hegui & Stevie from Weird Combinations and Saveur Magazine both featured recipes for Sichuanese fried eggplant.
If you've ever ordered this form the a la carte menu at a restaurant or even helped yourself to a plateful off the dim sum cart, you know that this is one Chinese vegetarian offering that is doggone delicious!
It can however present some challenges in cooking and that is - oil.
We all know just how much of a sponge eggplant can be when it comes to oil and cupfuls can disappear in its pores only to be released later. And so you can end up with fried eggplant in a veritable 'oil soup'.
Don't get me wrong, I love a nice bit of chili oil to go with my rice but we all know, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it.
I was impressed by the techniques employed by the Saveur recipe in trying to ward off such a happening and have inculcated most of the steps except for the method of cutting the vegetable.
The center line method in both recipes is the same. I did however take liberties in adjusting ingredient quantities to suit my taste. Fantastic over steamed rice, this makes such a nice addition to the Asian food repertoire in our kitchens.
Gather the ingredients,4 long Asian eggplants, 30 stalks Chinese chives (to yield 2 cups - 2" long pieces), 1-1/2 tbs finely chopped garlic, 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger root and 2-3 cups oil for deep frying.
Sauce:
1/4 cup Chinese chili bean sauce (douban jiang), 2 tbs dark soy sauce, 1/2 tbs sugar & 2 tbs water. Combine and set aside
For garnish:
2 tsp Chinese black vinegar & 2 tsp toasted sesame oil & steamed jasmine rice for serving
Set a pot of water to boil. Meanwhile,
Chives: Snip and discard the blossoms. Cut and discard the bottom 1" hard stalks. Cut the rest of the stalks into 2" lengths.
Eggplant: Cut the eggplant into thirds. And then cut lengthwise into 1/2" thick matchstick (about 4-6 pieces per cross section)
Create a ice water bath in a bowl with 1/2 tbs salt. Soak the eggplant pieces for 5-10 minutes. Drain and pat dry completely between kitchen paper towels.
In a wok or kadhai, heat the oil till very hot (350F). Drop the eggplant in the hot oil in batches and fry for about 2-3 minutes until the skin is a little blistered and eggplant is cooked.
Remove from pan and lay eggplant pieces on paper towels. Once all the eggplant has been fried, place in a large bowl and cover completely in hot boiling water. Allow it to soak for 5 minutes to remove excess oil from the eggplant.
Once again drain the water in a sieve and then gently pat the eggplant dry between kitchen paper towels.
Good to know: This is a critical step. If you omit this and go straight from seive to frying pan, you'll end up with a super oily dish.
Remove all but 2 tbs of oil from pan. Reserve excess oil for later use.
Add the chopped garlic & ginger. Saute for few seconds on medium-high heat till fragrant.
Add the Chinese chives and continue cooking for another minute or so until they are glossy green.
Add the eggplant and stir. Add the sauce and continue cooking to gently stir until the eggplant and sauce is warmed through.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Good to know: Though there should be some oil in this vegetable, if you are uncomfortable with any excess oil, drain away or pat away with kitchen paper towels before plating.
Drizzle with black vinegar & sesame oil & remove to a serving platter.
Sprinkle with some chopped chives if desired and serve immediately with steamed Jasmine rice.
Recipe for
Sichuan Style Spicy Fried Eggplant
Preparation time - 20 min
Cooking time - 10 minutes
Serves 4
Shopping list
4 long Asian eggplants
30 stalks Chinese chives (to yield 2 cups - 2" long pieces)
1-1/2 tbs finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger root
2-3 cups canola or vegetable oil for deep frying.
Sauce:
1/4 cup Chinese chili bean sauce (douban jiang)
2 tbs dark soy sauce
1/2 tbs sugar
2 tbs water. Combine and set aside
For garnish:
2 tsp Chinese black vinegar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
steamed jasmine rice for serving
Preparation:
Set a pot of water to boil. Meanwhile,
Chives: Snip and discard the blossoms. Cut and discard the bottom 1" hard stalks. Cut the rest of the stalks into 2" lengths.
Eggplant: Cut the eggplant into thirds. And then cut lengthwise into 1/2" thick matchstick (about 4-6 pieces per cross section)
Create a ice water bath in a bowl with 1/2 tbs salt. Soak the eggplant pieces for 5-10 minutes. Drain and pat dry completely between kitchen paper towels.
Method:
In a wok or kadhai, heat the oil till very hot (350F). Drop the eggplant in the hot oil in batches and fry for about 2-3 minutes until the skin is a little blistered and eggplant is cooked.
Remove from pan and lay eggplant pieces on paper towels. Once all the eggplant has been fried, place in a large bowl and cover completely in hot boiling water. Allow it to soak for 5 minutes to remove excess oil from the eggplant. Once again drain the water in a sieve and then gently pat dry between kitchen paper towels.
Remove all but 2 tbs of oil from pan. Reserve excess oil for later use.
Add the chopped garlic & ginger. Saute for few seconds on medium-high heat till fragrant. Add the Chinese chives and continue cooking for another minute or so until they are glossy green.
Add the eggplant and stir. Add the sauce and continue cooking to gently stir until the eggplant and sauce is warmed through. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Good to know: Though there should be some oil in this vegetable, if you are uncomfortable with any excess oil, drain away or pat away with kitchen paper towels before plating.
Drizzle with black vinegar & sesame oil & remove to a serving platter.
Sprinkle with some chopped chives if desired and serve immediately with steamed Jasmine rice.
Enjoy!
