Sichuan Fish-Fragrance Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qie Zi) — No Fish Required
Sichuan Province
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The working recipe — the Market List, the Method, and where it lives or dies
I
Origin
Sichuan Province
II
Description
Yu xiang qie zi (鱼香茄子) — fish-fragrance eggplant — uses the yu xiang sauce (fish-fragrance flavour profile) which contains no fish at all: the name refers to the condiments traditionally used in Sichuan fish cooking — pickled chili, garlic, ginger, scallion, vinegar, sugar, and soy. Applied to eggplant that is first deep-fried or wok-fried until silky, the sauce creates a complex, multi-dimensional dish.
III
The Thread
—Sicilian caponata — sweet-sour eggplant
—Turkish imam bayildi — eggplant in aromatic sauce
—Middle Eastern moussaka — eggplant with spiced sauce
IV
Flavour Context
Sweet-sour-spicy simultaneously; garlic and ginger aromatic; soft silky eggplant contrasting with vibrant sauce; a fully balanced Sichuan dish
Pillars V — VII
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