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A Friend Recently asked me about how to cook an aubergine. This batman-caped vegetable with an odd looking green hat is in fact a berry! As the aubergine is now in season, I thought I would extol its virtue and share a humble recipe which is a personal favourite.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 600g Aubergines
- Salt
- 400ml vegetable or sunflower oil for deep frying
- 1 and a half tbsp of Sichuan pickled chilli paste ( Doubanjiang)
- 1 tbsp of ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of garlic, finely chopped
- 150ml of stock
- 2tsp of caster sugar
- 3/4tsp potato flour or corn starch mixed with 1 tbsp of water
- Chinkkiang vinegar 2tsp
- Spring onion greens, 4 tbs, finely sliced
Method
1.Cut the aubergines lengthways into 3 thick slices, then cut these into evenly sized batons. Sprinkle them with salt, mix well and leave in a colander for at least 30 minutes to drain.
2.In a wok, heat the oil for deep-frying to 180C. Add the aubergines in batches and deep-fry for 3-4 minutes until slightly golden on the outside and soft and buttery within. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
3. Drain off the deep-frying oil, rinse the wok if necessary, then return it to a medium flame. When the wok is hot again, add 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the chilli bean paste and stir fry until the oil is red and fragrant, then add the ginger and garlic and continue to stir fry until you can smell their aromas. Take care not to burn these seasonings; remove the wok from the heat for a few seconds if necessary to control the temperature (you want a gentle sizzle, not a scorching heat).
4. Add the stock and sugar and mix well. Season with salt to taste if necessary. Add the fried aubergines to the sauce and let them simmer gently for a minute or so to absorb some of the flavours.
5. Then stir the potato flour mixture, pour it over the aubergines and stir in gently to thicken the sauce. Add the vinegar and spring onions and stir a few times, then serve.
Until we meet again for the next aubergine recipe. It may interest you to know that the next recipe was recently cooked for me as a romantic gesture by my lovely husband. Zai Jian (See you again in Cantonese).