Braised Eggplant Strips in Sweet Bean Sauce
A classic Zhejiang home-style dish of deep-fried eggplant braised in sweet bean sauce, with a rich, fragrant savory-sweet flavor.
Ingredients
tender eggplant (peeled and cut into thick strips)
400 g
sweet bean sauce
50 g
garlic cloves (peeled and sliced)
5
salt
to taste
chicken powder
to taste
water starch slurry
to taste
oil (for frying eggplant strips and stir-frying)
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare Ingredients
Peel the eggplant and cut into thick strips; peel the garlic cloves and slice them.
2
Fry the Eggplant
Rinse the wok and place it over high heat. Add oil and heat until it reaches about 60% of its smoking point. Add the eggplant strips and fry gently until soft, then remove and drain the excess oil, set aside.
3
Sauce Braising
Add 3 tbsp of oil to the wok. Once the oil is hot, add the sweet bean sauce and stir-fry until fragrant and crispy. Add the sliced garlic and stir-fry briefly, then add a small amount of water. Add the eggplant strips, then season with chicken powder and salt to taste. Simmer until the eggplant absorbs the flavor, then thicken the sauce with water starch slurry and serve.
