Fish-Fragrant Eggplant Strips
A Zhejiang-style dish of eggplant strips battered and fried until golden, then drizzled with fish-fragrant sauce. Soft and aromatic in texture, with a balanced savory-salty flavor.
Ingredients
Long eggplant (peeled, ends removed, cut into strips 2cm wide and 5cm long)
300g
Eggs (mixed with dry starch to make a batter)
3
High-quality starch (dry starch, mixed with eggs to make a batter)
100g
Chopped scallion, ginger, and garlic
50g total
Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp
Sugar
1 tbsp
Pickled chili peppers (minced)
50g
Doubanjiang (broad bean paste)
1 tbsp
Soy sauce
1 tsp
Vinegar
1 tbsp
Salt
As needed
Chicken powder
As needed
Oil (for frying eggplant strips and stir-frying sauce)
As needed
Water (for the fish-fragrant flavor)
A little
Cornstarch slurry (for thickening)
As needed
Instructions
1
Step 1
Peel the eggplant, remove the ends, and cut into strips 2cm wide and 5cm long; mix the eggs with dry starch to make a batter; mince the pickled chili peppers.
2
Step 2
Heat a wok over high heat and bring the oil to 50% hot. Coat each eggplant strip individually with the egg batter, then drop them into the wok and fry until set, removing them as they are done. When all are fried, reheat the oil to 70% hot and fry the eggplant strips a second time. When the skin is crispy and golden, remove and drain the oil; set aside.
3
Step 3
Add oil to the wok, add the minced pickled chili peppers, and stir-fry until fragrant and the oil turns red. Add the chopped scallion, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add a little water, then add chicken powder, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and salt to create the fish-fragrant flavor. Thicken with cornstarch slurry, then remove from heat and pour the sauce over the eggplant strips.
