Cook: Mapo Eggplant

I’ve cooked Mapo Tofu, and I’ve cooked Sichuan Eggplant. And recently (as in yesterday) found a recipe for Mapo Eggplant. It was the flavor profile I wanted for last night’s dinner. 

And luckily I had all the ingredients in fridge and pantry. Eggplant. Which I sliced into bite-sized chunks and sprinkled with Sichuan salt. Sichuan peppercorns.

Chicken broth. Ground meat (pork). 

Scallions, ginger, and garlic. Which I chopped or ground in my mortar and pestle. 

Doubanjian paste. Shaoxing wine. Sugar. Soy Sauce. 

Your starch of choice: jasmine rice or noodles. Corn starch to mix with water for a slurry and thicken the sauce. And for good measure, tofu. 

I simmered the rice and microwaved the noodles and steamed some shumai dumplings for our appetizers and set up the work station. 

And settled in with a glass of wine to review the recipe.

And oh my gosh, I had forgotten to put out chili oil.

And the cooking was a blur and happened fast because it had to and because I had a mise en place. Once you brown those peppercorns and remove them from the hot peanut oil, it's a matter of dumping in the ingredients and browning and deglazing. And don't forget a lid to contain all the steam and cooking juices as the eggplant cooked for 7 minutes.

Because I only had 3 eggplants and used only half a pound of the ground pork, I didn't share with Cecilia, but I should have...

...because Patrick declared it too spicy. And so I'll have to eat the leftovers or extend it with the rest of the ground pork and a packet of mapo tofu sauce that Cecilia had given me and maybe get a couple more Japanese eggplants and share it with her. It's that spicy and yummy.