Szechuan Sauce:

1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns ( or sub regular peppercorns)

1/4 cup soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon garlic chili paste ( or sub 1 teaspoon chili flakes)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine (or mirin)

3 tablespoons sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup or alternative

1/2 teaspoon five spice

Garnish with scallions and roasted peanuts or this Peanut Chili crunch

1 1/2 lbs Japanese Eggplant (about 4 x 10 inch eggplants)

2 teaspoons salt

bowl of water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2–4 tablespoons peanut oil ( or wok oil)

4 cloves garlic, rough chopped

2 teaspoons ginger, finely minced

5–10 dried red chilies

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch thick half-moons or into bite-sized pieces ( see photos). Place in a big bowl covered with water and stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Cover with a plate and let stand 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime, chop the garlic and ginger and make the Szechuan Sauce.

To make the Szechuan Sauce: Toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Crush. Place these along with the remaining ingredients ( soy, chili paste, sesame oil, rice vinegar, Chinese cooking wine, sugar, and five spice) in a small bowl and whisk. Set by the stove.

Drain and rinse the eggplant and pat dry with a towel. Toss with the corn starch.

Working in 2 batches, heat 1 -2 tablespoons oil in an extra-large skillet over medium heat. Add half the eggplant spreading them out. You want to get both sides nice and golden, and the insides cooked through -so take your time here and dont rush this step. Let one side brown then turn them over using tongs. This will take about 10 minutes for each batch. ( If in a hurry sometimes I’ll use 2 pans.) Set the eggplant aside.

Add 1 more tablespoon oil to the skillet, and over medium heat, add the garlic and ginger, stirring for 2 minutes. Turn the fan on, add the dried chilis and stir one minute. Pour the Szechuan sauce into the pan and bring to a simmer for 20 seconds. Add the eggplant back into the skillet, tossing gently for about 1 minute. If it seems dry add a tablespoon of water to loosen.

Place in a serving dish and top with scallions and optional peanuts.

Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, black rice or rice noodles.

NOTES

Be patient browning each side of the eggplant. This will take a little time but reward you greatly.

I’ve found that the flat surface of a skillet, verses using a wok is much easier to use to get those sides golden.