The Cheat's Guide to Sichuan Cooking...

[khiemtran]

Sunday afternoon, and if I can get five dishes done out of the wok, I'll have enough to see us through the whole week. Some shortcuts will have to be made...





First up, it's an eggplant dish vaguely based on Fuchsia Dunlop's "Fish-fragrant aubergines" (鱼香茄子 or Yú xiāng qiézi). We start, as you might expect, with a large eggplant. Actually two eggplants, since I'm cooking for the whole week.



Which I then chop up and stick in a microwave container... (It might be best if you look away now, Fuchsia...).



Ten minutes later, the eggplant is pale but soft. This takes two batches, but it gives me some time to prepare the sauces and marinades for the other dishes.



Next I fry up some pork mince with a splash of soy sauce and Shaoxing wine.



And add in the softened eggplant and some Taiwanese bean paste. It was supposed to be Sichuan Chilli Bean Paste, but I'm trying to maximise the number of dishes that Liem can eat. At this point the original recipe is pretty much out the window (if it wasn't already lying battered on the rose garden).



The eggplant is creamy soft in no time. The more you brown it the nicer it will be, but don't let it fall apart.



And.. Finished! On to number two...



Next, I fry up some more pork mince (also with soy and Shaoxing wine) and add some microwaved green beans that I had on while I was frying the eggplant (five minutes is about enough). There may be some eggplant in there too, because I didn't clean the wok.



Fry with lots of peanut oil under the skins turn nice and wrinkly.



Two down, and we're looking good!



Right, now add some more oil and fry up some lemongrass that you prepared earlier (along with maybe a little pork leftover from the beans, see not cleaning the wok).



Add some marinated chicken (fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass and garlic) and then chopped onion...



The marinade is based on the recipe for "Lemon Grass and Chilli Chicken" in Secrets of the Red Lantern, but it's something of a sore point because I can't see how they get the chicken in the photo in that book to be as dark as it is without the undocumented use of something like caramel sauce (or dark soy).

Here I've added some caramel sauce...



And... done!



Right, so now we come to the non-Liem portion of the menu. Next up, it's Fuchsia's Dunlop's Gōng bǎo jī dīng(宫保鸡丁), mutated even further than it was on my last attempt.



Here's the chicken I was cutting and marinating while the eggplant was in the microwave.



And... done!



Into the home stretch now, and it's more dried chillies back into the pan, along with some barramundi pieces I marinated in egg white, corn flour, salt and chinese wine.



Aiyee! I blew this one. The barramundi came out overcooked. Not the best effort, but it will do. Now, I just have to start my pork and daikon soup, and the week will be sorted.



Oh yes, and now we still have to clean up...

Comments

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Ooh, it all looks fantastic (and nicely photogaphed, too). We can't get barramundi here, but I had it in Australia - over a decade ago, now - and have never forgotten the experience. It's such a delightful fish, as delicate as sole but plump and meaty like a good cod with an overtone of butter. The closest we could come to it after much experimentation was something the fishmonger called 'Arctic ice fish' which was white and buttery (and very expensive).

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a great fish. Ironically, most of the barramundi we get here is actually farmed in places like Thailand and Vietnam, because our own wild catch fetches higher prices overseas....

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

You are making me hungry, and it is after midnight, going an 1am. Not good! :P

And I don't wash the wok/pan either when I'm cooking consecutive dishes. What a waste of water. :D

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

The trick is just making sure that all the chilli-based dishes come after the mild ones. (Forward planning is not always my strong point when it comes to cooking...)