Szechuan Eggplant

From everything I've ever seen, Szechuan means hot.  You are warned.

I had Szechuan eggplant hotpot at a Chinese/Thai/Japanese fusion restaurant in Maryland last spring.  It was delicious, saucy, and spicy (but not spicy enough, no matter how much I tell them to make it HOT).  I HAD to find a recipe for making it at home (especially since going gluten-free), and I did.

This is the basic recipe.  When I have it on my plate, I end up adding more heat with Szechuan peppercorns and more Sriracha.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of ground pork
2 T. soy sauce
Ground black pepper

Sauce:
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
3 T. chili-garlic paste (usually, I use Sambal Oelek, but I ran out the other day, so I used Sriracha)
1 T. rice wine (I did not have this, and used white wine.  I have also heard gin delivers a very similar flavor.)

1-2 large eggplants, sliced into fat sticks
1-2 bell peppers (red and green), optional
1-inch knob of ginger, sliced into matchsticks
1 T. cornstarch dissolved in 1 T. water
Half a head of garlic, minced

Instructions:

Look how cheap ground pork is!!!!

Place ground pork, 2 T. soy sauce, and black pepper in a small bowl to marinate.  Allow to sit in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat.  Add pork mixture, ginger, and garlic.  Stir-fry until browned.

Add in bell peppers and eggplant.  Stir-fry for a few minutes to brown the eggplant.

Throw in the sauce mixture and bring to a simmer.  Turn heat down to medium and allow stir-fry mixture to cook until the eggplant is cooked through, 5-10 minutes.  Stir frequently.

I put a lid over it so the eggplant would cook more evenly.

Add in the cornstarch and water mixture, bring to a boil, and allow the mixture to thicken.

Serve immediately over rice/quinoa, or all alone if you like!  I was so hungry, I didn't take a great picture...but it was delicious!

If you like heat...I suggest investing in some Szechuan peppercorns.  I prefer it with about a teaspoon of them added to the recipe, but a lot of people don't like how hot it gets, so I just add them after.