Crispy Eggplant With Fish Fragrant Sauce

eggplant deep-fry vegetarian soy sauce tapioca rice ginger garlic chile pepper pepper chinese asian vegetable

Dan Hong

Serves 4–6

Source

Ingredients

450 g (1 lb) caster (superfine) sugar

100 g (3½ oz) liquid glucose

100 ml (3½ fl oz) light soy sauce

100 ml (3½ fl oz) Chinese red vinegar

70 g (2½ oz) soy paste

2½ tablespoons Chinkiang black vinegar

2 tablespoons chile bean paste

2 tablespoons Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil (with peanuts)

1 tablespoon very finely chopped ginger

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

3 bird’s eye chiles, very finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper

½ teaspoon chile flakes

50 g (1¾ oz or 1⁄3 cup) sesame seeds

15 g (½ oz) xanthan gum

60 g (2¼ oz) rice flour

60 g (2¼ oz) tapioca flour

1 teaspoon salt

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

6 Japanese eggplants, peeled, cut into batons about 5 x 1.5 cm (2 x 5⁄8 inch)

Sprigs from ½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped

2 small long red chiles, thinly sliced into rounds

2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

3 tablespoons fried shallots

1 small handful of baby cilantro leaves and sesame seeds, to garnish

Method

Put the sugar and liquid glucose in a large saucepan and add 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) water. Whisk over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar, then increase the heat to high, stirring until the mixture starts to boil. Keep boiling until the temperature reaches 120°C (235°F).

Add the remaining sauce ingredients, stir to combine, and leave it to simmer for 1 hour. At the end, you should have a glazy caramel-like consistency, which coats the back of a spoon. This sauce can be stored in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Put the xanthan gum and 550 ml (19 fl oz) water into a bowl. Whizz with a hand-held blender until it has a thick, viscous consistency. Blend in the rice and tapioca flours, followed by the salt. The result should be a fairly goopy, but smooth batter.

Fill a large wok or deep-fryer one-third full with oil and heat to 180°C (350°F) or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden in 15 seconds. Dip the pieces of eggplant into the batter then gently lower them into the oil one by one. Fry in batches for about 5 minutes per batch. Don’t fiddle around with the eggplant too much in the first 2–3 minutes to allow the batter to firm properly. After about 3 minutes the exterior will harden and you can use a pair of tongs to separate any pieces that have stuck together in the oil. Continue cooking until the 5-minute mark. Drain on paper towels.

Put the eggplant in a bowl and pour about 100 ml (3½ fl oz) of the fish fragrant sauce on top. Using a large spoon, give everything a stir to make sure each piece of eggplant is evenly coated. Add the cilantro sprigs and chiles and mix through. Divide between four to six bowls and top with the spring onions and fried shallots. Sprinkle with baby cilantro leaves and sesame seeds.