Overview
Chinese Name: 鱼香茄子
English Name: Fish-flavored Eggplant
Category: Sichuan cuisine川菜
Main Ingredients: Eggplant
Fish-flavored eggplant鱼香茄子 is one of the traditional specialty dishes in Dachuan District达川区, Dazhou City达州市, Sichuan Province四川省. It is a typical fish-flavored famous dish in Sichuan cuisine川菜.
Fish-flavored eggplant is made with the main ingredients, Pixian bean paste, and other spices. Its taste is thick and long, with a lingering aftertaste, so it is called Yuxiang. Before the 1970s, the menu of the restaurant had the name “Yuxiang Eggplant”.
It is said that a long time ago, there was a business family in Dazhou, Sichuan. Their family liked fish very much, and they were very particular about seasoning. Therefore, when they cooked fish, they had to put onion, ginger, garlic, wine, vinegar, soy sauce, and other seasonings to remove the fishiness and enhance the flavor.
One night, when the hostess of the family was frying another dish, she put the leftover ingredients from the last time she cooked the fish into this dish to avoid wasting the ingredients. At that time, she thought that this dish might not taste very delicious, and the man in the family could not explain it when he came back. While she was in a daze, her husband went home from business.
Her husband didn’t know whether it was because he was hungry or he felt that the dish was special. He grabbed it with his hands and swallowed it before the meal was ready. He couldn’t wait a minute to ask his wife how this dish was made. While stuttering, she accidentally found her husband repeatedly praising the delicious food. When her husband saw that she didn’t answer, he asked again, “What is this delicious food made of?” His wife told him all about it.
This dish is fried with the ingredients of braised fish and other dishes, which will have a lasting aftertaste. So it is named Yuxiangchao, hence its name. After years of improvement by the Sichuan people, this dish has been included in Sichuan cuisine, including fish-flavored pork liver鱼香猪肝, fish-flavored shredded pork鱼香肉丝, fish-flavored eggplant鱼香茄子, and fish-flavored three shreds鱼香三丝.
How to make Fish-flavored Eggplant?
Ingredients：
- Three long eggplants
- Pork stuffing is appropriate
- Garlic in moderation
- A moderate amount of small red pepper
- 1 tablespoon bean paste
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- Essence 1 teaspoon chicken
- A moderate amount of sesame oil
- An appropriate amount of cornstarch
Instruction:
- Step 1, Cut the eggplant into 7-8cm long strips, mince the garlic, cut the small red chili into sections, and chop the bean paste.
- Step 2, Sprinkle a little salt into the eggplant strips and mix well. Let it marinate for about 10 minutes. After the eggplant is cured, remove the excess water from the basin. Then sprinkle the proper amount of dry cornstarch and mix well.
- Step 3, Take a clean small bowl, then put corn starch, sugar, chicken essence, soy sauce, and vinegar in turn, and then pour half a bowl of water into a bowl of juice for standby.
- Step 4, Add a proper amount of oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, put the eggplant strips into the pan in turn and fry until the surface is slightly yellow.
- Step 5, In another pot, add a little base oil, and then pour the meat into the pot for frying. Stir fry until the meat is white and ripe. Add the bean paste and small red pepper and stir well. Then add the garlic powder and stir-fry it. Finally, stir-fry the eggplant strips in the pot.
- Step 6, Pour the bowl of juice into the pot, bring to a boil, and stir well. Then turn off the fire and pour a little sesame oil on the plate.
Video Guide
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