Eggplant Szechuan style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 6 m.-sized shiitake mushroom(s), dried
• 200 g water
• 4 g beef broth, instant
• 300 g eggplant(s), purple
• 120 g snake beans
• 5 m.-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 10 g ginger, fresh or frozen
• 50 g onion(s)
• 4 tbsp water (mushroom soaking water)
• 1 tsp, heaped tapioca flour
• 1 liter frying oil, fresh
• 2 tbsp palm oil, premium quality, for frying
• 1 tsp Sambal, see in my recipes the Sambal Belacan 2
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, light, special
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp arak (arak masak)
• 1 tsp beef broth, instant
• 3 tsp sugar
• n. B. Soy sauce, light, special
• e.g. beef broth, instant
• e.g. soy sprouts or mung sprouts
• n. B. Sesame, white
• n. B. flowers and leaves
• 150 g long grain rice
• n. B. water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

fried eggplant, shiitake mushrooms and snake beans in spicy sauce

For the vegetables, heat the water and dissolve the instant beef broth in it. Remove the water from the heat, add the dried shiitake mushrooms, and let it swell for 30 minutes. Squeeze the broth out of the mushrooms and return it to the beef broth. Cut the mushroom caps into strips. Discard the tough, hard stems. Trim both ends of the garlic cloves, peel them, and cut into small pieces. Wash, peel, and cut the fresh ginger into small pieces. Weigh the frozen goods and thaw them. Wash the eggplants, trim both ends, and cut lengthwise into approximately 1.5 cm thick slices. Cut these lengthwise into strips approximately 1.5 cm wide. Cut the strips crosswise into approximately 4 cm long pieces. Cut two wide slices crosswise from an onion and quarter these. Wash the runner beans, trim their lower ends, and cut the beans into approximately 4 cm long pieces. In a small bowl, mix the sambal belacan with the ingredients from soy sauce to sugar and set aside. Mix 4 tablespoons of the mushroom soaking water with the tapioca flour and set aside. Dilute the remaining soaking water with water to make 270g. Cook the optional rice with it. Heat the frying oil in a wok to 190°C and fry the eggplant in two batches until light brown. Heat a medium-sized pan, add the palm oil, and heat until hot. Add the garlic and fry until light brown, then add the ginger pieces and fry briefly. Add the onion pieces and shiitake mushrooms and mix. After one minute, add the beans and eggplant pieces and stir-fry for another 1 minute. Deglaze the vegetables with the sambal mixture and mix well. Stir until the liquid is absorbed. Add the tapioca flour mixture and stir-fry. Continue cooking the vegetables until the flour mixture thickens. Season the sauce with soy sauce and beef broth to taste. Divide the vegetables and rice among serving plates, garnish, and serve hot. Tip: This dish is vegetarian if you replace the instant beef broth with salt or instant herb broth.