Stuffed aubergines with black bean sauce

Tag : Aubergines


I have eaten this dish many times in the New Diamond in LisleStreet in London's Chinatown, in the early hours of the morning.Having failed to find it in any Chinese cook books, I often triedasking the waiters how it was made and what goes into it but it wasprobably as difficult for them to understand our question as it wasfor us to decipher their reply. I asked again at Wings in Woodford,Stockport (0161-432 5799), and Wing, the owner, knew exactly what Iwas talking about. He went straight to the kitchen and magicked upa couple while we sat tight and watched on the screens that showthe chefs at work behind the scenes. Even that screening didn'tleave me much the wiser about what they'd done, so I have come upwith my own version.
I have eaten this dish many times in the New Diamond in LisleStreet in London's Chinatown, in the early hours of the morning.Having failed to find it in any Chinese cook books, I often triedasking the waiters how it was made and what goes into it but it wasprobably as difficult for them to understand our question as it wasfor us to decipher their reply. I asked again at Wings in Woodford,Stockport (0161-432 5799), and Wing, the owner, knew exactly what Iwas talking about. He went straight to the kitchen and magicked upa couple while we sat tight and watched on the screens that showthe chefs at work behind the scenes. Even that screening didn'tleave me much the wiser about what they'd done, so I have come upwith my own version.
In the New Diamond's way, the result can be a bit oily, as theaubergines absorb so much oil as they fry and then release it whenthe sauce is poured over. Don't worry if that happens: it won'talter the taste.
First make the sauce. Gently cook the onion, garlic and ginger inthe sesame oil for 3-4 minutes without colouring until soft. Addthe rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and water and bring to the boil.Simmer for 5 minutes then stir in the cornflour mix. Bring back tothe boil, add the black beans and simmer gently for a further 10minutes before removing from the heat.
Meanwhile cut the ends off the aubergines and cut into 1 1 2cm-thick round slices. Lay them on a board and lightly sprinklewith salt on both sides and leave for 10 minutes.
While the aubergines are salting, mix all the ingredients togetherfor the stuffing and season. Wash the salt off the aubergines anddry on a clean tea towel. With the point of a sharp knife make a2-3cm slit through the skin of each aubergine slice and work thepoint of the knife into the flesh, almost to the edge of the skinbut taking care not to pierce it, to make a pocket as large as youcan. Push as much stuffing as possible into the pockets with yourfingers, again being careful not to break the slices. Don't worryif the stuffing bulges out a little. It's hard to gauge exactly howmuch stuffing you need, and you may find you have either slices orstuffing left over.
Heat a non-stick pan with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil andfry the aubergines on a medium heat, adding another tablespoon orso during cooking, for about 5 minutes on each side until a nicegolden colour. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches depending onthe size of your pan. Take out and drain on kitchen paper to absorboil. Then return all the aubergines to the frying pan and add theblack bean sauce, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 4-5minutes turning the aubergines over after a couple of minutes.Serve with some sprigs of coriander.