From my
youth, I have always loved Chinese cuisine. As I have mentioned earlier, growing up in
Anchorage, Alaska, my Saturday morning line up would consist of cartoons and the
cooking show "Yan Can Cook." It was actually this show that would spark my
interest in Chinese culinary arts. I was
also exposed to traditional Chinese cuisine by my martial arts instructor via
the local Chinese community. It was
through my connections in the Chinese community both in Anchorage I would discover that Chinese cuisine was not
the typical Mongolian Beef or Chop Suey dribble that is all too common in Chinese
restaurants in the western world.
One
particular style of cooking that captured my attention, and perhaps my
favorite style of cooking is the Sichuan cuisine of Western China. It is among the major regional cuisines found
in China. This style of cooking is
notorious for it liberal use of garlic and various types of chilies. Whether
these chilies are fresh, dried, pickled etc, the heat and flavors are all a
major influence in Sichuan style cuisine.
Another major ingredient that is widely use in Sichuan cuisine is the
use of the tongue numbing hua jiao, or better known as the Sichuan pepper corn.
Among my
favorite dishes is a dish I actually first tried in Anchorage, called Yu Xiang Qie
Zhi (fish fragrant Eggplant) . No, the
dish does not smell like fish, and unfortunately the English translation of
this dish does not do the dish justice.
The "fish fragrant" connotation refers to the use of
seasonings that produce a combination of sour, hot, sweet, and salty flavors
that is often associated to fish dishes of the region.
Yu xiang
qie zhi can also be prepared with or without ground pork, depending on your
preference. However the star of this
dish are the eggplants and "fish fragrant" sauce.
Yu Xian Qie
Zhi Recipe:4-6 eggplants
250g ground pork (I prefer to use thinly shredded pork)
4-6 chilies (depending on how spicy you like it)
2-3 T chili bean paste
2T light soy sauce
2 T chinkiang vinegar
1T dry sherry
1-2cup chicken broth
1t sugar
1t minced ginger
1 clove of minced garlic
Chopped leaks
Cornflour solution
1. Cut
eggplants into short strips (about the same size as steak fries) with the skin
on.
2. In a
wok, heat enough oil to deep fry the eggplants til golden brown (approx 3-4
minutes). Set aside and drain from oil.
3. Pour off excess oil from the work and leave
about 1-2 T in the wok. Add minced
garlic, ginger, white portion of leaks, and chilies. Stir fry at high heat till fragrant.
4. Add ground pork and stiry fry till it is no
longer pink.
5. Add all the remaining ingredients and allow
to boil.
6. Add the
fried eggplants to the wok and stir fry for several seconds. To thicken the sauce, add corn starch
solution and stir to ensure there are no lumps in the sauce.
7. Remove from wok and when serving garnish with
chopped spring onions and drizzle some sesame oil on the top.
Enjoy!
---The
Frustrated Fil-Am Chef
When I lived in Hamburg, a Chinese colleague and friend used to organize group dinner/excursions to the local Chinese restaurants in town. She would choose from the Chinese menu and we wont know what we'll get...
ReplyDeleteA dish very similar to these was among the group favorites whenever we went to Shudu.
The dish we got was a strictly vegetarian, but it might be that it was a special order for our vegetarian colleagues.
I'll give it a try both veg and non-veg see how it goes.
Thanks for the recipe,
Á
Both versions are great and it depends on your preferances. I can also recommend ordering the dish from Peking Szechuan on Munchgt 5 in Oslo. They can make the dish on request.
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