An ode to the aubergine

When I was a kid, there were pretty much only three things I wouldn’t eat – mushrooms, courgettes and aubergines. Anyone who knows me at that time knows that I was certainly not a picky eater, or a restrained eater for that matter*, but those were three things I refused to touch. I don’t know if it is because of a deeply buried but highly disturbing incident at a courgette-mushroom-aubergine farm or because of the sloppy-wet-slimy texture they all share, but I preferred to stick to my trusty frozen bird’s eye peas when vitamins were called for.

Thankfully, I am over that and love a side of fried mushrooms with my English breakfast and a big bowl of moussaka, thick with bubbling cheese, but courgettes, no, still not a fan, never will be.

Aubergines, or eggplants to the non-British, feature prominently on Chinese menus across the country, and even the most humble of roadside shacks will happily stir fry you a side of them on request, with garlic sauce or stuffed with fried pork, but very few things get my taste buds excited like a plate of hot, spicy 鱼香茄子, which literally translates as ‘fish fragrant aubergine’.

A newly arrived visitor to China might be slightly put off by the thought of a bowl of steaming aubergines, reeking of trout, but there is nothing even remotely fishy about this dish, the ‘fish fragrant’ merely refers to the selection of spices and sauces which are traditionally used in Sichuan Province to flavour fish, but are used here instead to cook the aubergines and give them a garlicky, salty, sweet, sour and spicy flavour (yes, all at once. It is possible)

One important thing to bear in mind is that aubergines, be they Asian or European suck up flavour (and fat) like a Dyson sucks up pennies, but one way to avoid the aubergines becoming a slick, oily mess is to first dry fry them over a high heat for a couple of minutes, which will help seal them off and help them to keep some shape when the sauces are added.

To get it right, it’s pretty much essential that you use Asian aubergines which are longer and thinner than the European counterparts and have a much denser, less spongy texture. The only other essentials are plenty of fresh garlic, chilli of some kind (fresh, paste, dried and flaked, or all three if you feel in the mood for a kick in the teeth) ginger, sugar and soy sauce. I, and many others, like the addition of some minced pork and a bit of chicken stock which when bubbled with the spices for a couple of minutes gives a nice thick sauce to pour over rice.

It is not an easy dish to get wrong and coupled with a steaming bowl of white rice and a cold Qingdao beer, it’s a lovely simple and healthy(ish) dinner.

Classic Sichuan Fish Fragrant Aubergines （四川鱼香茄子）

1 1/2 pounds Asian aubergines
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons chili bean paste
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark rice vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow rice wine
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
A cup of minced pork
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns, or 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Spring onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Slice each aubergine in half lengthwise, then slice each length into quarters.

In a small bowl, mix together chicken stock, chili bean paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, and sugar. Set aside.

At this stage, dry fry the aubergines over a high heat for a couple of minutes, taking care that they don’t burn, set aside.

In a wok, heat oil until just smoking. Add eggplants and stir-fry until outsides become golden brown and insides begin to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns and pork and stir-fry until fragrant for about 30 seconds/ 1 minute. Pour in stock-sauce mixture and mix well. Allow sauce to simmer for 2 minutes and eggplant to absorb sauce. Stir in cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce. Remove from heat, plate, and garnish with spring onions.


*The period of 1992-1999 was one of pure gluttony. Wispas and jam sandwiches, fondant fancies and hobnobs. All passed my lips frequently. Very frequently.