Yu Xiang Eggplant

Ingredients

• 3 Chinese eggplants
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup julienned pork or ground pork
• Meat marinade:
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon rice wine
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame seed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup julienned jicama or fresh bamboo shoots
• Sauce mixture:
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chili paste with garlic
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sweet bean sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
• Cornstarch slurry: 1 T cornstarch:
• 3 tablespoons water

Method

• 1. Quarter the eggplant lengthwise, then cut into 2" length pieces. Lightly salt the eggplant and let rest for 15 minutes.
• 2. Heat oil in wok, add eggplant, stir fry on medium heat until eggplant is soft...but not mushy. Drain on paper towel and press out excess oil.
• 3. Marinade pork with soy sauce, wine, sesame seed oil and cornstarch.
• 4. In the same wok, stir fry marinated pork with garlic until pork is cooked. Add in jicama and sauce mixture. Simmer for 1 minute and wait for meat to absorb all the flavors. Add the eggplant back in and stir to mix.
• 5. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken and to give the dish a glossy appearance. Sauce should not be thick and pasty.

Notes

• NOTES:
• NOTES : Sichuan
• "Fish Fragrant Eggplant"
• SERVINGS: 4
• SOURCE: Rhoda Yee, CCA