Eggplants in Spicy Garlic Sauce

This is a very popular recipes in many Szechuan restaurant which can be very spicy but very delicious. Normally Japaneses eggplants are used for preparation. Big chunks of eggplants are braised in the spicy garlic sauce with the grounded pork as Chinese food normally have pork as they main dish like we use chicken.We happen to try this dish in a Chinese restaurant near to the Asian Store. My hubby just love the taste and it kind of oily so I brought some eggplants and give the dish are try. It came out pretty good but with less oil compared to the restaurant.

Cut the eggplant crosswise in half and into quarters.Cook the eggplant in boiling water for 1 minute.Drain the eggplant on paper towels and keep aside.In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients mention under "For the sauce" and keep aside.Heat the wok-add the garlic, ginger and green onion. Stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the ground chicken.Stir-fry until the chicken turns white and is nearly cooked.Add the eggplant into the pan. Stir for a minute to mix everything together. Give the sauce a quick re-stir and swirl it into the pan, stirring.Turn down the heat to low-medium- cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is tender. Adjust the level of salt and remove from flame and transfer to serving plate garnished with chopped chives, a few sprigs of cilantro or parsley, or even with toasted sesame seeds.This spicy dish goes goes very nicely with plain cooked brown rice or white rice.

Note: You can also fry the eggplant and then press out the completely before adding to the sauce.