I'm pretty sure that fish doesn't smell like this. Heck, this dish doesn't even have any sort of fish essences in it. But, as the origin goes, these are the same Szechuan (Sichuan) flavorings used for preparing fish so that it is sweet, sour, and spicy. I added a step to this by baking the eggplant before frying to shorten the fry time of cooking the eggplant since I didn't want to deep fry the eggplant in a lot of oil. Maybe when I do this recipe again, I should cook it with fish instead of eggplant and see how it tastes.
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| Fish Fragrant Eggplant |
Sauce Ingredients
1 tbsp chili bean sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp organic granulated sugar
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 c water
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb Japanese eggplants, cut into 2" pieces and quartered
1 tbsp chili black bean sauce
2 stalks green onions, sliced into 1" pieces
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Directions
In a 9" x 13" baking dish, add sliced eggplant and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F; or bake for 25 minutes if you don't want to wait for the oven to preheat.
1. In a large frying pan or wok, heat oil and add garlic and ginger. Lightly brown the garlic before adding the eggplant. Fry for 5 minutes.
2. Next, add the sauce, cornstarch and water. Fry until all the eggplant is coated. Add the green onions last.
3. Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.
A madman checked out three of Fuchsia Dunlop's cookbooks from the library and suggested that we cook at least three recipes from them. This is the second of three recipes that looked doable and another attempt at authentic Chinese cuisine. This recipe comes from Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook which highlights the cuisine and cooking style of the Hunan province. Chili bean paste isn't in the pantry, so I mixed chili oil with black bean paste as a substitution. This came out tasting just okay. I'm not terribly inclined to make it again any time soon.
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| Spicy Eggplant with Pork |
Ingredients
3 Asian eggplants, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and finely chopped
3 oz ground pork
2 tbsp chili oil + 1 tbsp black bean paste
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 fresh red chili, finely sliced
2/3 c. stock or water
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 scallions, green parts only, finely sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
olive oil for frying
kosher salt, to taste
Directions
1. Peel the eggplants then cut them in half lengthwise, then crosswise. Cut each quarter into chunks, sprinkle with salt and let drain for 30 minutes.
2. Squeeze the water from the mushrooms, then finely chop and set aside.
3. Rinse and pat dry the eggplant. Heat the oil for deep frying in a wok over high heat until it reach 350 degrees F and fry eggplant until they are tender.
-or- Blanch the eggplant for a few minutes in salted boiling water until softened. Remove from heat or water and set aside.
4. Fry pork separately and add the chili bean paste. Stir fry until the oil is red.
5. Add the ginger, garlic, mushrooms, and chili paste. Stir in the stock, dark soy sauce, eggplant, and simmer for a few minutes over medium heat. Season to taste with salt.
6. Cook until the sauce is reduced. Add the scallions and stir fry until barely cooked.
7. Remove from heat, stir in sesame oil, and serve.
The taste reminded me a lot like a ratatouille. The sauce was burdened by eggplant flavor, however. Perhaps one large aubergine was too much for this simple beef recipe. Also, I couldn't taste the fennel at all. So maybe next time I should use fresh fennel instead of fennel seeds and dice the eggplant into smaller bits. This ragu is traditionally served over pasta, but fried brown rice is an acceptable substitute.
Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large aubergine, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp EVOO
One 15 oz can organic diced tomatoes
1/3 c. tomato paste
1/2 c. dry marsala wine
1/2 tsp organic granulated sugar
1 tsp each fennel seeds, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, brown garlic, ground beef, and olive oil together over medium heat. When all the pink is nearly gone in the beef, add the eggplant, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Let this mixture simmer for 10 minutes before adding the wine, sugar, and spices. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is cooked.
This recipe is surprisingly easy and has a total prep/cook time of an hour. You'll need a large European eggplant, not the long, thin Japanese eggplant. There are two parts to this recipe, the eggplant and the tahini (sesame paste).
Tahini Ingredients
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 c. warm water, scant
Eggplant Dip Ingredients
1 large eggplant
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. tahini
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 1/2 tsp olive oil (optional)
dash of paprika (optional)
Directions
1. In a food prep (large enough to accommodate 3 cups), combine 2 tbsp sesame seeds, sesame oil, and sea salt. Grind by adding a little water at a time until a smooth paste forms.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Take eggplant and slice in half. Putting the cut side down onto a lightly oiled baking dish, say a 9" x 13" glass or ceramic baking dish. It is not necessary to turn the eggplant while it bakes, nor be concerned if the skin starts to char.
4. Bake the eggplant for 40 minutes, until soft. Remove from oven and scoop out the eggplant flesh into the food prep where the tahini is already. Add minced garlic and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. View pic.
5. Remove eggplant dip to a container and let chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
6. When serving, add olive oil on top of the spread and sprinkle with paprika.
Makes almost 2 cups.
Note: Trader Joe's now carries 2.4 oz bottles of raw white sesame seeds for $1.99. It's in their spice section.
Most eggplant recipes you see are for baked, roasted, deep-fried, or steamed eggplant. Why is this? Because it generally takes a long time to cook, even if you're patient. This method involves frying, but with a covered lid. As long as the eggplant doesn't dry out, it should cook thoroughly.
3-5 Japanese eggplants, sliced in 3/4" diagonal cut pieces
1 red bell pepper, 1/4" lengthwise slices
1 green bell pepper, 1/4" lengthwise slices
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. chicken/vegetable/beef broth or water
slivers of green onion for garnish (optional)
dash of salt, to taste
Sauce:
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
1. Stir-fry red and green bell peppers with the oil and the garlic about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Stir-fry eggplant until lightly browned. Turn heat down to medium and simmer with 1/4 c. broth covered until eggplant is soft. About 30 minutes.
3. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Once the eggplant is just about done, add the sauce and stir until the eggplant is coated. Add the peppers back in and fry for 1-2 more minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Garnish with slivers of green onion.
