Upgrade: Fish-Fragrant Eggplant (魚香茄子)

I first wrote about fish-fragrant eggplant (yuxiang qiezi) back in 2017. That post was already the product of quite a bit of experimentation. In the years since, the dish has remained a family favorite and we've had it many times both at home and from restaurants. In that time, I have continued to tweak the recipe. The basic structure of this new version is consistent with my previous one, but subtle changes can bring great improvements. A great lesson from the upgrades series has been that recipes aren't settled things. Make the food that you like, which is not necessarily what someone else wrote down.

The dish continues to be built around 1 1/2 lb. of Chinese eggplants. Traditionally, the eggplant is deep fried, and that's how you would get it at a Sichuanese restaurant. Eggplants absorb a lot of oil, so they have to be pressed to expel it before continuing on. Getting a pot of hot oil ready is a hassle for what amounts to a single step in the recipe, so I previously got by with stir frying the eggplant. This also takes a long time and doesn't quite achieve the right effect. Instead, I now "air fry" the eggplants to brown them and drive off moisture. This can be done unattended while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. I also do the same for dry-cooked string beans. 

The other big change is in the sauce. In my old version, it's simply too salty, so I cut the soy sauce in half. Instead, I lean into the sweet-and-sour aspect of the dish and bring up both the vinegar and sugar. The result is a more nuanced flavor which is no longer dominated by the soy sauce. I now like to add some ground meat to the dish, a familiar flavoring method seen in other Sichuan dishes like mapo doufu and the aforementioned string beans. Traditionally, only a small amount is used (1/4 lb. would probably be about right), but I like to bulk it up a bit to make this the main event in a dinner for two. In a meal for more people, I would make a separate meat dish. To make this vegetarian, the pork can certainly be omitted and the stock replaced with mushroom broth. As with my other versions of Sichuanese dishes, I split the spicy doubanjiang with Koon Chun bean sauce to take the heat down - feel free to adjust to taste. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. Chinese eggplant (3-4 eggplants)
• 1/2 lb. ground pork (optional)
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, cut on a bias and separated into white and green parts
• 1 Tbs. minced ginger
• 1 Tbs. hot bean paste (doubanjiang)
• 1 Tbs. fermented bean sauce (Koon Chun bean sauce)
• 1 oz. rock sugar, broken into small pieces (substitute white sugar)
• 1 cup unsalted Chinese soup stock (pork, chicken, or shrimp)
• 2 Tbs. light soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. black vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbs. corn starch
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• Vegetable oil
• Salt

Instructions

Cut the eggplants into thumb-sized pieces. I cut them into cylinders about 1 1/2 inches long, then cut those into 4-6 pieces depending on the size. In a large bowl, toss with a little salt and vegetable oil. Air fry at 425 F for 20 minutes. Use this time to gather the rest of the ingredients.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add vegetable oil and swirl around. If using, stir fry the ground pork until browned. Add white part of scallions, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry briefly, then add both bean pastes. Stir together and cook for a minute. 

Add the stock. In a small bowl, stir the soy suace, vinegar, wine, and corn starch together. Add to the pan. Stir everything together and turn heat down to medium. Add sugar and cook until the sugar is fully melted. 

Add the eggplant pieces and stir to coat. Allow to cook a few minutes. Turn off the heat, drizzle with sesame oil, and stir together. Garnish with green parts of scallions and serve with rice.

Notes

For a more traditional Sichuan style, deep fry the eggplant and press in paper towels instead of air frying. Reduce pork to 1/4 lb. Replace the Koon Chun sauce with more doubanjiang.