Aubergine, Szechuan Style

Photo: flickr user FotoosVanRobin

Ingredients

2 cups Aubergine, or one medium sized aubergine cut into

1/2 cup Flour

1 teaspoon Chopped garlic

1 teaspoon Chopped ginger

1 tablespoon Chopped green onion

1/2 cup Ground pork (or beef, see notes for 2 tablespoons Cooking oil

6 cups Deep frying oil

1 tablespoon Dry sherry

1 tablespoon Soy sauce

2 teaspoons Hot bean sauce

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar

1 teaspoon Corn starch

cup Sauce stock

1 tablespoon Chopped green onion

Preparation

Shake the aubergine in flour, making sure that all the cut surfaces are coated. Deep fry the coated aubergine at 375F for 2 to 4 minutes until golden brown in color and soft. Place the fried aubergine on a few layers of paper towels to absorb excess oil. Stir fry the flavoring mixture in 2 TBS of cooking oil until it smells good, add the ground pork and fry until it is done. Add the sauce mixture, stir well and when the sauce turns clear,

Notes:To make a hotter dish a tsp or two of Szechuan hot sauce may be added to the sauce mixture, or a TBS of shredded fresh hot peppers may be stir fried along with the flavoring mixture. For those who prefer not to eat meat, 1/2 cup of shredded black mushrooms or fresh mushrooms may be substituted for the pork. If deep frying is a problem, another approach is to pan fry the aubergine patiently. Cover the wok while frying and sprinkle a few drops of water periodically to speed up the cooking. The aubergine can also be