Ingredients
| 3 long Asian-style eggplants (or 1 large eggplant) | |
| a 6cm piece of ginger, peeled, plus a 3cm piece of ginger, peeled | |
| 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 teaspoon oil | |
| 2 tablespoons cornflour | |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | |
| ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper | |
| 500g firm-fleshed fish, such as trevally, kingfish, hapuku, blue cod, blue nose or monkfish | |
| 3 cloves garlic peeled | |
| 2 spring onions cut into 3cm lengths | |
| 2 teaspoons soy sauce | |
| 300ml chicken stock | |
| 50ml Shaoxing wine |
Look for Asian eggplants to use here; they are firmer in texture, usually with minimal seeds and often less bitter than the large globe eggplants. Velveting chicken or meats is common in Chinese cuisines, but it also works brilliantly with seafood, helping it to retain moisture and giving it a slight silkiness.
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Instructions
| 1. | Cut the eggplant into 3-4cm pieces using a rolling cut. |
| 2. | Very thinly slice the 6cm piece of ginger and then cut into small thin matchsticks. |
| 3. | Heat 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a wok, add the ginger and cook over a medium-low heat until golden, around 4-5 minutes. |
| 4. | Drain on paper towels and set aside – the ginger will crisp up as it cools. |
| 5. | Put the cornflour in a large bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons water, the salt and white pepper. |
| 6. | Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and put into the bowl with the cornflour slurry. |
| 7. | Stir gently to coat then add 1 teaspoon of oil and mix together gently. Set aside for 30 minutes to marinate. |
| 8. | In a couple of batches add the eggplant to the wok, turn up the heat and cook until golden and tender, about 3-4 minutes for each batch. |
| 9. | Drain on paper towels, set aside. |
| 10. | Finely grate the 3cm piece of ginger and the garlic. Add to the wok along with the spring onions and fry over a gentle heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes, adding an extra tablespoon of oil if needed. |
| 11. | Add the soy sauce, chicken stock and Shaoxing wine and bring up to a simmer. |
| 12. | Add the fish a little at a time so the pieces don’t stick together. |
| 13. | Once the stock comes back up to a simmer, add the eggplant back to the pan, cook for 1 minute, then cover and turn off the heat and leave for 2-3 minutes. |
| 14. | The fish should be just cooked. Use a spider or slotted spoon to carefully remove the fish and put onto a platter. |
| 15. | Turn up the heat and cook the sauce until it lightly thickens and has reduced slightly. |
| 16. | Pour over the fish and scatter over the crisp ginger to serve. Best with steamed rice. |
| 17. | VEGETARIAN/VEGAN Use slices of firm tofu in place of fish and use vegetable stock. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant Photography Aaron McLean Styling Jessica Crowe