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1
If salting: toss the eggplant batons with a pinch of salt, leave 15 minutes, then press dry with paper. This step reduces oil absorption. The batons should feel slightly limp and the paper should show moisture.
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2
Combine the soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch slurry in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste the raw sauce: it must read pleasantly tart, lightly sweet, savoury, and carry the faint fermented background of the doubanjiang (added separately in the wok). If it tastes flat, add more vinegar; if harsh, add more sugar. This is the adjustment stage — once the eggplant has absorbed the sauce, correction is difficult. This is where the dish lives or dies.
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3
Heat the oil to 180 °C in a wok or deep saucepan. Fry the eggplant batons in batches for 3–4 minutes until golden on the surface and completely yielding when pressed. Remove and drain briefly on paper. Each piece must show no resistance at its centre — a raw, firm core means the texture will not recover.
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4
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the wok. Over medium heat, add the doubanjiang and cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes. The oil in the wok will turn a deep rust-red and the fermented chilli fragrance will become pronounced — this signals the paste is ready.
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5
Add the minced garlic and ginger to the wok and stir for 30 seconds over the same heat until their raw sharpness softens into the red oil. The aromatics should not colour.
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6
Add the drained eggplant to the wok and toss to coat in the aromatic base. Pour in the prepared sauce and toss continuously over high heat. The sauce will bubble and thicken within 30–60 seconds into a glossy coating that clings to each baton rather than pooling at the base of the wok. When the gloss is even and no liquid sits loose in the wok, the dish is done.
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7
Scatter the spring onions over the finished dish. Serve immediately with plain steamed rice.