Every now and then I am prone to odd cravings. It's usually because I've either been away and I've had food from a particular country that I've fallen in love with (my recent trip to Bangkok is one example that saw me trolling Sydney streets for black sticky rice desserts). Or it is because I've seen something on a blog or on television and decided that I need to eat it then and there.
And then there's the craving that hits me once every week or so in which I have to have Chinese food. I blame my parents for their consistent pushing of Chinese food during my formative years ;) But if I don't have something Chinese every week or two then I start to get a little strange-or make that stranger...
I must admit that I didn't grow up eating this exact dish-my mother never cooked eggplant this way but I've since had it at several Sichuan restaurants in Sydney and it is always met with the same rapturous declaration of "I loove eggplant!" Not a normal utterance for most but one that never fails to come forth with this dish.
When I bought about six of those slender, dark purple Japanese eggplants I decided to try my hand at recreating this very popular Sichuan dish. The key ingredient is Sichuan peppercorns or "flower peppers", a pretty pink peppercorn that gives a most uniquely addictive numbing sensation on the palate. They're not actually peppercorns but berries from a prickly ash tree. The Chinese like the fiery husks which they call hu?ji?o_while the Japanese like the milder berries which they call _sansh?.These tiny citrusy, numbing balls feature in many spicy Sichuan dishes along with their frequent counterpart chillies and is also one of the five ingredients in the Chinese five spice mix. It is said that the numbing properties of the Sichuan peppercorn lessen the heat giving properties of chillies so combining the two is an ideal mix to give the "hot and numbing" sensation that is unique to Sichuan cuisine.
I initially said that this is a side dish but on the night that I made this, I ate this by itself for dinner with some boiled white rice all the while trying to stop Mr NQN from stealing my half as he loved it so much. It's spicy but not overly so and I think there is some logic to the numbing effect of this peppercorn on a normally spicy chilli. The eggplant takes on an appealing sweetness while the other flavours balance it boldly-this is not a dish for a shrinking violet but for someone thatloves strong flavours. The rice soaked up the glossy dark sauce and before I knew it, not a single peppercorn was left behind.
So tell me Dear Reader, what dish or cuisine do you crave?
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Print Recipe
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
500g/1 pound or about 6-7 skinny Japanese eggplants
Oil for frying
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
2 golden eschallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic
1-2 teaspoons sichuan red peppercorns
1 large red chilli, sliced
4 tablespoons shaoxing cooking wine
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
drizzle of sesame oil
fresh coriander and boiled rice to serve
Step 1 - Slice the eggplant into two inch pieces and then quarter these lengthwise. Finely chop the ginger and eschallots and set aside. In a bowl, mix the shaoxing cooking wine, sugar and dark soy sauce and stir.
Step 2 - Heat a frypan or wok on medium to high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry the eggplant in two batches until they are caramelised and set aside on a plate.
Step 3 - Add a little more oil to the pan and then fry the chopped eschallots and ginger until golden, then add the garlic and Sichuan peppercorns (try one teaspoon of peppercorns at first unless you like things really spicy!) and cook for a minute or two. Place the eggplant back into the pan along with the sliced red chilli and the sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the eggplant is soft and creamy. Drizzle with sesame oil and add fresh coriander on top.
Soak eggplant slices or cubes in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.
Yuxiang (sometimes translated as "fish flavor") is made of pao la jiao (泡椒'Sichuan pickled chili pepper'), chuan seasoning salt, soy sauce (regular light), white sugar, bruised ginger, garlic and green star but no fish. This seasoning has nothing to do with fish, instead imitating the seasoning and method that people ...
Because they have fewer seeds, Chinese eggplants are less bitter than globes and do not need to be salted. Salt is used to draw out bitterness, but this variety is naturally sweet.
Yes, the skin of Chinese eggplant is tender and entirely edible. Unlike the thicker skin of some Western eggplants, Chinese eggplant's skin cooks down to a soft texture, so there's no need to peel it. It also adds color and additional nutrients to the dish.
"When you lay them on the tray to roast, make sure they're in a single layer and give them enough room to roast properly. Eggplant is about 80 to 90 percent water, so when you put them in the oven they need space to evaporate all that water and caramelize properly," says Covarrubias.
Yuxiang (simplified Chinese: 鱼香; traditional Chinese: 魚香; pinyin: yúxiāng; lit. 'fish fragrance') is a seasoning mixture in Chinese cuisine, and also refers to the resulting sauce in which meat or vegetables are cooked.
One of the most popular was the long, thin, purple eggplant from Taiwan known as Ping Tung. This is an exceptional eggplant with sweet, pleasant tasting flesh. The plants are incredibly prolific and produce throughout the entire season.
Originally reported in China and India, there is speculation that the eggplants earliest uses were medicinal rather than for food. Eggplants grow from the nightshade plant and were originally thought to be poisonous because the vast majority are toxic to humans.
Why do you soak eggplant in water and vinegar? Soaking eggplant in water and vinegar helps remove some of the vegetable's natural bitterness. This step also helps preserve some of the skin's color so it stays a vibrant purple even after cooking.
While the leaves and flowers can be toxic, the eggplant itself is safe to consume both raw and cooked, and the compound that some might be sensitive to, solanine, is only toxic when consumed in large quantities.
If delivered fresh and properly stored, Chinese eggplants will last up to about 5 days. Some food experts recommend storing eggplants outside the refrigerator, away from direct sunlight. Storing Chinese eggplants with other types of fresh produce may cause them to spoil more quickly.
Soaking eggplant in water and vinegar helps remove some of the vegetable's natural bitterness. This step also helps preserve some of the skin's color so it stays a vibrant purple even after cooking.
You'll need 30 minutes at the minimum, but you can leave them up to an hour and a half. Watch for moisture beading up on the eggplant, which is what you want. Rinse the salt off. Run the eggplant under water for a minute or two, making sure you get most of the salt off.
Slice or chop the eggplant.Sprinkle evenly with salt.Transfer to a colander over a plate and set aside for 30 minutes to drain. This draws out the bitter juices.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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