Yuxiang Eggplant Stirfry

In Szechwan cooking, “yuxiang” stirfries are cooked “in the style of fish.”  What this means is that non-fish main ingredients are cooked using a sweet-sour suite of condiments and seasonings that are typically usually used with fish.  In this case we’re cooking eggplant in the yuxiang style, making one of the best eggplant dishes you’ll ever eat.  We’ve adapted our recipe from one presented in Ellen Schrecker’s acclaimed 1976 Mrs. Chiang’s Szechwan Cookbook (ISBN 978-0060138035).  Our main alteration was to increase the amount of eggplant while at the same time cutting back on the cooking oil.  If you’d like your version to be more authentic, you can double (or even triple) the amount of oil.  But we frankly prefer this lighter version and see no reason for the eggplant to be swimming in oil.  

¼ cup vegetable oil
12 cloves garlic (preferably a turban variety), minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger paste
1 tablespoon Szechwan chili-garlic paste
6 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked until soft in hot water and thinly sliced
½ cup dry tree ear mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft and thinly sliced
4 Asian eggplants, cut into 3” sections and then into ½” thick slices
8-12 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and cut into 1/8” matchsticks
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
6 green onions, bottoms cut into ½” and the tops into 1” pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup water

Heat oil in a wok over high.  When the oil begins to smoke, add in the garlic and ginger.  Stir fry for 30 seconds. 

Add in the chili paste, shitake and tree ear mushrooms.  Stir fry for another minute. 

Add in the eggplant, water chestnuts, and sugar.  Stir fry for another minute.

Add in the vinegar and salt and stir fry for another 2 minutes.  

Add in the green onions and soy sauce and stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Add in the water.  Let come to a boil in the wok, reduce heat to medium-high and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes until the eggplant is soft and slightly mushy and some oil has risen to the top of the cooking liquid.

Serve warm with Peking pancakes or hot rice.  Wheat tortillas make a fine substitute for the pancakes. 

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