P
Chinese · Sichuan Province
Sichuan Mashed Aubergine with Sesame (Bang Bang Qie Zi / 棒棒茄子)
Sichuan cold dish of steamed or roasted aubergine beaten with a wooden club (bang bang) to create a fibrous texture, then dressed with garlic, sesame paste, Sichuan chilli oil, vinegar, and spring onion. The fibrous, pulled texture of the beaten aubergine absorbs the dressing differently than cut or mashed aubergine.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
2 large
Chinese long aubergine (or Italian variety)
dense, low-seed variety preferred
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the dressing
3 cloves
garlic
finely minced
Your own market
3 tbsp
sesame paste (Chinese)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
Sichuan chilli oil
with sediment
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
rice vinegar
Your own market
2
spring onions
thinly sliced
Your own market
To finish
1 tbsp
toasted sesame seeds
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II
The Method
1
Roast the aubergines directly over a gas flame or under a very high grill, turning occasionally, until the skin is fully charred and blackened on all sides and the flesh collapses completely when pressed — the interior must be cooked through to the centre with no firmness remaining. Alternatively, steam the aubergines until entirely tender throughout. If steamed, drain in a colander and press gently to expel as much liquid as possible; do not skip this step, or the dressing will be diluted.
2
Peel away and discard the charred or steamed skin. Lay the flesh on a chopping board. Using a wooden rolling pin or wooden club, beat the aubergine firmly and repeatedly along its length — do not chop. Continue beating until the flesh breaks down into coarse, fibrous strands. The dish lives or dies here: chopping destroys the characteristic pulled texture that allows the dressing to be absorbed in the manner specific to this preparation.
3
Pull the beaten aubergine apart by hand into long strands and arrange on a serving plate. The texture should be fibrous and open, not a smooth purée.
4
Combine the sesame paste, Sichuan chilli oil, rice vinegar, and minced garlic in a small bowl. Stir until the dressing is cohesive and evenly combined. Taste: it should carry the layered quality of the Sichuan cold-dish pantry — sesame richness, chilli heat, and a clean sour note in balance.
From the canon — Sichuan chilli oil (红油, hong you, literally red oil) is the foundational condiment of the Sichuan kitchen — used as a cooking fat, a finishing drizzle, a sau… Sichuan Chilli Oil (红油 Hong You) — Making the Infused Oil →
5
Spoon the dressing over the aubergine strands immediately before serving — not before. Scatter the spring onion and toasted sesame seeds over the top. The dressed dish should be brought to the table at once; beaten aubergine oxidises and becomes waterlogged if left to sit in the dressing.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Flame-roasted Chinese long aubergine, charred to full collapse over live fire; housemade Sichuan chilli oil from dried facing-heaven chillies; aged Chinese sesame paste ground from toasted sesame.
02
Estate — Flame-roasted Chinese long or Italian aubergine; good commercial Sichuan chilli oil with visible sediment; quality Chinese sesame paste.
03
Market — Oven-grilled aubergine taken to full tenderness; reliable supermarket Sichuan chilli oil; standard sesame paste.
04
House — Steamed aubergine well-drained; any chilli oil available; tahini substituted for sesame paste — the dressing will be lighter in flavour but the dish remains instructive.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Aubergine yields completely when pressed — no firmness at the centre; the flesh collapses under the finger.
◇Sight. After beating, the flesh has separated into coarse, long fibrous strands, not a smooth or homogeneous mass.
◇Smell. If flame-roasted, a pronounced smokiness rises from the flesh once peeled — this is the aromatic base the dressing works against.
◇Sight. Excess steaming liquid has been fully drained before dressing; no pool of water forms beneath the strands on the plate.
◇Where it lives or dies. The aubergine must be beaten, not chopped — only the wooden-club method produces the fibrous, pulled strands that absorb the dressing in the manner that defines this dish.
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VI
What to Pour
A lightly chilled, off-dry or dry Chinese rice wine (huangjiu) cuts the sesame richness and matches the vinegar note in the dressing. A cold, low-bitterness lager performs the same function if wine is not to hand. The dish is also well served by chilled jasmine tea, which provides aromatic contrast without competing with the chilli oil.
The whole pairingPillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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