Vegan Sichuan Braised Eggplant

This is a vegan take on a classic Sichuan dish, the dish is usually made with pork mince but here I’ve substituted that for peanuts which are simmered in the sauce to give a similar soft texture. The signature of the dish along with most Sichuan cooking is intense heat. The heat comes mainly from the la doubanjiang, a paste made from chilli and broad beans.

 As well as this the dish is flavoured with Sichuan pepper. Sichuan pepper is a unique spice, its flavour is citrusy and almost metallic but in addition it causes a tingling, numbing sensation on the lips and tongue which adds a unique experience to Sichuan dishes.

Both Sichuan pepper and la doubanjiang can be difficult to source in Western countries but I was ale to locate them at my local Asian grocer.

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Vegan Sichuan Braised Eggplant

This is a vegan take on a classic Sichuan dish, the dish is usually made with pork mince but here I’ve substituted that for peanuts which are simmered in the sauce to give a similar soft texture. The signature of the dish along with most Sichuan cooking is intense heat.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: braised, eggplant, sichuan, vegan

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 4 small eggplants cut into sixths lengthwise
• 1 medium brown onion diced
• 2 medium carrots diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon crushed Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 tablespoons la doubanjiang (chilli bean paste)
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup chin kiang vinegar
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts
• thinly sliced spring onions and chilli to serve
• fresh coriander to serve
• steamed rice to serve

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 150°C. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Place eggplant pieces in batches, cut side down into the oil and cook for 3 minutes then turn and cook a further 3 minutes. Remove from pan.
• Reduce heat to medium and add the carrot and onion to the pan and sauté for 10 minutes. Stir in the peppercorns, garlic and ginger then sauté a further two minutes. Add in the bean paste and sauté for two minutes.
• Add the stock, soy, vinegar and peanuts then stir to combine. Submerge the eggplant pieces in the liquid then bring to a boil.
• Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise for 1 hour then uncover then braise for a further 45 minutes. Transfer to serving dish then top with coriander, chilli and spring onion. Serve with a side of steamed rice.