Sichuan Eggplant in Chili Garlic Sauce

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Sichuan Eggplant in Chili Garlic Sauces

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For those of you who like meatless recipes, here is one for eggplant in chili garlic sauce. It contains both chili peppers and chili oil and a lot of garlic, but it is really not overly hot. Of course you can always cut back on the heat. I don’t like really hot food and I find that it is not too hot for me.

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Although you can buy chili oil in stores now, I recommend that you make your own to control the strength and to make certain that it is fresh. It will last for years if placed in a small jar and refrigerated

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You will probably see several different types of eggplant in a Chinese grocery store, but I just use the regular purple ones from the supermarket. Make sure that the skin is shiny and not wrinkled because I just wash them and leave the skins on. Just cut them crosswise into ¾ inch thick slices and then cut each slice into one-inch squares.

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Some people cook the whole eggplant before cutting it up but I prefer to blanch the cut-up cubes for about 3-5 minutes in boiling water so that they retain a little texture. Drain them and stir-fry them while they are still hot.

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Before you start, you need to make the chili oil. In China, peanut oil is often used, but in America, corn oil or soybean oil works just fine and is a lot cheaper. Don’t use olive oil because unless it is very highly processed, it will impart a foreign odor to your cooking.

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Chili Oil Ingredients:

2 Cups of Oil

1 ½ Cups of dried red Chili Peppers about the size of your little finger chopped into small pieces (do not discard the seeds)

5 Teaspoons of Cayenne Pepper

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Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a small pot until it is hot but not smoking.
2. Add the chili peppers but not the cayenne and continue cooking over low heat until the peppers just start to turn black but do not burn them.
3. Let the pan cool for 15 minutes and then add the cayenne powder.
4. Let the pan sit covered overnight to develop the full flavor.
5. Strain the orange-red chili oil through cheesecloth or a fine strainer into a jar and store covered in the refrigerator.

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Sichuan Eggplant in Chili garlic Sauce:

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Difficulty:

Easy

Preparation Time:

30 Minutes

Cooking Time:

30 Minutes

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Ingredients:

2- 1 Lb. Eggplants cut into Cubes

3 tablespoons of Oil

2 Whole dried Chili peppers

6 Cloves of Garlic peeled and minced

3 Scallions cut into pea sized pieces including the green part

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Sauce Mixture:

2 Tablespoon Black Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sichuan Sweet Bean Sauce

1 Tablespoon Dry White Wine

2 Teaspoons Dark Brown Sugar

I Teaspoon Chili Oil

1 Teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil

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Cooking Instructions:

1. Parboil the eggplant pieces in boiling water until fork tender.
2. When the oil is hot, fry the chili peppers until dark brown and then discard them.
3. Add the garlic and scallions and brown them slightly.
4. Add the sauce mixture except for the sesame seed oil and bring just back to a boil.
5. Add the eggplant and stir-fry until all of the pieces are covered with sauce.
6. Finally, stir in the sesame seed oil and serve over boiled rice.

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