‘fish fragrant’ aubergine

The secret of cooking aubergine is to use methods that encourage the spongy white flesh to drink up strong flavours while cooking down to a succulent and waat(silky)texture. The ‘fish fragrant’ preparation hails from the Sichuanese tradition, named as such not to describe the use of fish, but because the seasoning( harmonious balance of salty, sweet, spicy and sour) has long been used to cleverly undercut the overly fishy aroma when cooking with less than perfect fish.

Serves 2 large aubergines 1% tsp cornflour 3 tbsp vegetable oil 11% tsp Chinkiang vinegar 2 spring onions, sliced for the sauce 1%2 tbsp chilli bean sauce cloves garlic, finely diced 212 tsp finely diced ginger 112 tsp cracked Sichuan peppercorns 1 tsp light soy sauce pinches salt 2 tsp granulated sugar 1 Trim the aubergines, then cut them in half lengthways. Put one aubergine half horizontally on the chopping board with the cut side facing up and cut it into chunky shards by pivoting the knife by about 45 after each cut. Repeat with the remaining aubergine.

2 In a bowl, mix the cornflour and 11/2 tablespoons water into slurry and set aside. If the chilli bean sauce is chunky, roughly chop it so there are no large pieces then mix it with the remaining sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

3 Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over a medium heat. Add the aubergine and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add the remaining oil, then flip the aubergine only every few seconds for the next 3-4 minutes giv-cook ing them a chance to cook through and blisters slightly. Add the sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds,then reduce the heat slightly, pour in 60ml water and simmer for 2 minutes.

4 Reduce the heat to the lowest setting then stir in the cornflour slurry. Increase the heat to medium,then toss in the vinegar and the spring onions Stir-fry for 1 minute, then serve.

qingquang

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