Crispy eggplant covered in a sticky sweet, sour, savoury and slightly spicy sauce, this vegan fish-fragrant Sichuan eggplant is a signature Sichuan dish that turns eggplant haters into eggplant lovers. It is a Sichuanese classic, and one of my all-time favourite dishes of any cuisine. Don't let the name fool you—there's no fish here. Instead, this Sichuanese eggplant classic is deeply flavoured with garlic, ginger, and chilies, aromatics that are often associated with fish cookery. Fish-Fragrant is a combination of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy tastes that come from ginger, garlic, scallions and fermented or pickled chilies. It is so named because these flavours are often used to enhance fish.
Eggplant is one of those vegetables that almost begs for strong, pungent spices and sauces. And one of the most popular vegetable dishes in Sichuan cooking is "fish-fragrant eggplant", an unfortunate literal translation of the Chinese name (yuxiang qiezi) without the cultural nuance. You see, it doesn't actually smell or taste like fish. Rather, the name refers to method of preparation usually associated with fish in Sichuan cuisine that results in hot, sour, salty, and sweet flavours all co-mingling on the plate.
Sichuan eggplant refers to eggplant cooked the Chinese (specifically Sichuan province) way in a delicious Sichuan sauce. This Sichuan eggplant recipe makes a very quick side dish for rice or noodles. Soft, creamy eggplant seasoned with pungent, fragrant seasonings, Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce is simply irresistible! Not only do the eggplant pieces turn out extra crunchy crispy with a tender interior, they stay crispy for a long time even after coating with the sauce. More than any other dish, for me it sums up the luxuriant pleasures of Sichuanese food: the warm colours and tastes, the subtlety of complex flavours.
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