3 Chinese Eggplant Recipes that's Super Awesome! "CiCi Li, Asian Home Cooking"

Yuxiang qiezi is a classic Sichuan dish, but when you cook eggplants, they usually turn dark, become soggy, and super oily. Today, I want to show you some tricks so those won't happen. It is the most delicious yuxiang qiezi. In a large bowl of water, add the salt, rice vinegar, and whisk. Cut the eggplants into quarters, lengthwise. Transfer the eggplants into the water. Place a heavy plate on top so all the eggplants are inside the water, and soak them for 20 minutes. There are two benefits of doing this. First, it will prevent the eggplants from turning dark brown while cooking. And second, the eggplants won't absorb oil like a sponge and become soggy and super oily. Squeeze out the additional moisture from the eggplants. Next, sprinkle with the cornstarch and mix well. To make the sauce, in a bowl, mix in the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, zhenjiang vinegar, sugar, and water. In a wok over high heat, add the avocado oil. You could also use other high smoking point cooking oil. Heat it up to 350 degrees F or 177 degrees C. I'm frying the eggplants today because that's how it's normally made, but you could also pan fry or steam the eggplants instead. Fry for about 1 minute. And again, because we soaked the eggplants previously, so they won't become soggy and oily. You can give it a try and let me know how it goes. Remove and drain. In a wok over high heat, place in the avocado oil or other oil of your choice. Also add the ground pork. Stir fry until cooked, about 2 minutes. Add the Sichuan pixian broad bean paste, ginger, garlic, and salted chopped chili peppers. Sichuan people normally use pao jiao, but it's not available in my local grocery stores. You could also replace it with other red chili peppers. Stir fry until aromatic, 1 minute. Pour in the sauce, return the eggplants, and give it a good stir. Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. I have here 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water. Add the scallions. Slice the eggplants into spiral shapes. Fry until super crispy. We are also going to pair them with a delicious sweet and sour sauce. It is tasty, crispy, and absolutely fabulous. Let's get started. Peel the eggplants. Slice off the ends, and cut in halves crosswise. Place each piece of eggplant between a pair of chopsticks, and thinly slice from one end to another. Flip. At an angle, slice it again from one end to another. Do the same with all of them. Season the eggplants with salt. Rest for about 5 minutes. Salt also helps the eggplants to release moisture, so the eggplants will be crispy and not soggy while frying. Use paper towels to absorb the moisture on the eggplants. Pierce each piece of eggplant on a skewer. Do the same with the rest. In a plate, add the cornstarch. Dip the eggplants in it. Dust off the excess. In a pot over high heat, pour in the oil. Heat it up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully place in the eggplants, and fry until crispy for about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. In a pot over medium heat, pour in the water, ketchup, rice vinegar, and sugar. Whisk and bring it to a simmer. Pour in the cornstarch slurry. I have here 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water. My mom taught me a Chinese idiom when I was a little kid. I have always kept it in my heart. It means if you work hard enough, you can grind an iron rod into a needle. When our cooking didn't turn out so well, it's okay. Let's practice it a few more times. It will eventually become a top-shelf quality. I believe in it. Enjoy! We can also make the most delicious and beautiful eggplants right now. In a large container of water, add the white vinegar. Vinegar is our magic ingredient that will help to preserve the eggplant's purple color. I'm using white vinegar, but you can also replace it with rice vinegar. Trim off the ends of each eggplant. Quarter it lengthwise and cut it in half crosswise. Do the same with the rest. Transfer the eggplants into the water mixture and soak them for about 5 minutes. Place a plate on top so all the eggplants are submerged. By doing so, the eggplants wouldn't turn dark brown while cooking. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Discard the water and drain. In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, soy sauce, ginger vinegar, and sugar. You can also add other seasonings that you enjoy. In a steamer over high heat, bring water to a boil. Place the eggplants inside. Steam for about 6 minutes until completely cooked through. Place the eggplants on a serving plate. Add the garlic, finger hot pepper, and scallions. In a small pan over high heat, add the avocado oil or other high smoking point oil that you enjoy. Heat it up until smoking hot. Pour the hot oil over the eggplants. Lastly, drizzle the sauce around the eggplants. Here I also have some interesting facts about eggplants. Eggplants are usually eaten as a type of vegetable, but did you know they're technically a type of fruit, as they grow from a flowering plant and have seeds? Eggplants also contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So everyone, stay positive, be kind, and happy cooking! Bye!