A Sichuan dish made with aubergines in a fragrant and slightly spicy sauce. The name of the dish comes from the way the dish is cooked and contains no fish.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 15 minutesmins
Course Main, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2
Ingredients
400gChinese aubergine*or regular aubergine
2tablespoonoil
200gshiitake mushrooms
2tablespoonchilli bean paste
4clovesgarlicminced
1tablespoonminced ginger
3spring onionsfinely sliced
Sauce
2teaspoonslight soy sauce
1tablespoonblack vinegar
2teaspoonsfine white sugar
2teaspoonShaoxing wine*
½teaspoonmsgoptional
4tablespoonswater
1teaspooncornstarch
Instructions
Begin by washing the aubergine then cutting them into 6cm long pieces, quarter the pieces longwise to get 6cm long batons.
Steam the aubergine until soft but before they fall apart. This will take around 10 minutes.
While the aubergine is cooking prepare the sauce.
Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
Clean the shiitake mushrooms then finely chop them into a small mince like texture.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot add the oil then fry the mushrooms until they have released all their moisture and are starting to turn golden, around 6 minutes.
Add the chilli bean paste and stir to coat the mushrooms. Cook until the oil had turned a deep red colour, around 2 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and ginger and the white parts of the spring onions. Cook until fragrant, around 1 minute.
Now thoroughly mix the sauce ingredients in the bowl so the cornflour is properly incorporated as it will have sunk to the bottom.
Add the sauce to the pan and mix together to coat everything. Continue to cook until the sauce has thickened, around 1 minute.
Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Once the aubergine is cooked. Carefully remove from the steamer then add it to the sauce. Do this gently to try and keep the aubergine from breaking apart too much.
Check for seasoning then serve with white jasmine rice or as a side dish on its own.
Notes
If you can't source Chinese aubergine then you can use regular aubergine. Cut into similar sized batons.
Shaoxing wine sometimes has added salt, if yours has salt consider adding less soy sauce to dishes.