Szechuan aubergines

Name: Szechuan aubergines
Total time: 30 min
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: oil; aubergines 2, cut into batons; minced pork 100g (optional); garlic 2 cloves, crushed; Szechuan chilli bean paste (we used Ma Po sauce); ginger grated to make 1 tsp; golden caster sugar 1 tbsp; vegetable stock 100ml; cornflour 2 tsp; Chinese black vinegar 4 tbsp; spring onions 2, sliced

30 minutes
serves 6
Easy

This is a version of yu xiang qie zi, fish flavoured aubergine, so called because the flavours are usually used with fish. Buy Chinese black vinegar from Waitrose, souschef.co.uk, or Asian supermarkets. Leave the pork out to make this vegetarian.

August 12, 2015 at 3:49 pm

Ingredients

oil
aubergines 2, cut into batons
minced pork 100g (optional)
garlic 2 cloves, crushed
Szechuan chilli bean paste (we used Ma Po sauce)
ginger grated to make 1 tsp
golden caster sugar 1 tbsp
vegetable stock 100ml
cornflour 2 tsp
Chinese black vinegar 4 tbsp
spring onions 2, sliced

Method

Step 1

Heat some oil in a wok and fry the aubergine batons until they are brown and blistered and meltingly tender, add more oil if you need to.Add in the mince, if using, and fry for a few minutes until browned and cooked.Add the garlic and stir once or twice then add the bean paste, ginger and sugar and stir-fry for a minute or two.Add the stock and bring to a simmer for a minute. Mix the cornflour with a little water to make a paste, stir this into the aubergine and cook for a minute, then add the vinegar and spring onions and cook for a minute before serving. Sprinkle with a few more spring onions to serve, if you like.