Welcome back to the Ayi’s Recipes food series. Last week Ayi Yuan and I gave you Kung Pao Chicken, and this week we are sharing our recipe for another one of China’s most loved and sought-after dishes, Yu Xiang Qie Zi (spicy garlic eggplant). Now the exact region from where this dish originates from is a hard one to pin down. This popular spicy eggplant staple can be prepared in a variation of ways and can also vary in spice.

Commonly accepted as a southern delicacy, we decided to go with the Sichuan-inspired version of this sweet and spicy eggplant medley. Usually including minced meat and the mingling of garlic, soy sauce, and ginger, this wok-seared vegetable dish is a steaming bowl of comforting yumminess and is especially enjoyed by our family in the long winter months. This is definitely worth adding to your Chinese cooking repertoire and is a relatively simple go-to family-style dish that I’m sure the kids will love.

Get familiar with the basics of the dish

Ingredients

1 cup minced pork

2 cups of chopped eggplant

1/3 cup minced garlic

1/3 cup minced ginger

1/2 cup chopped white onion

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

4/5 chopped Sichuan chilies

2.5tbsp Chinese yellow wine vinegar

2 tbsp Chinese dark vinegar

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 heaped tbsp Chinese spicy soybean paste

2 tsp salt

1 tsp corn flour

1/2 cup peanut oil

Keep the dish moving and your eggplant slices whole

Instructions

1. Put the eggplant in a pan with tepid water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Add the corn flour, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of Chinese yellow wine vinegar to the minced pork. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a bowl mix the dark vinegar, remaining soy sauce and yellow wine vinegar, and sugar to make a sauce. Set aside.
4. Use a wok and heat the peanut oil over a medium-high heat and add ginger. Stir-fry until soft and add the pork. Stir-fry for a further few minutes until the pork is sealed and brown.
5. Add the soybean paste, garlic and onion to the wok. Stir-fry for a few minutes and then add the eggplant and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes to combine all the ingredients. Add the sauce mixture.
6. Continue to stir-fry for a few minutes until aromatic. Dish out and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve steaming hot!

A steaming bowl of comforting yumminess

Photos: Nicole Bonnah