Spicy Beef and Eggplant – 辣味茄子炒牛肉

Spicy Beef and Eggplant, or 辣味茄子炒牛, is a rustic dish combining tender strips of Beef and batons of Eggplant with Sichuanese Chili Bean Paste.

This hearty, peasant-style dish is quite similar to my Sichuan Eggplant with Minced Pork 川味茄子炒肉酱, except that tender strips of Beef replace the minced Pork. The Eggplant is cut into batons to match the Beef strips, and the Beef is twice fried for extra tenderness. The main ingredients are then stir-fried together in a pleasantly fiery sauce containing Sichuan style Chili Bean Paste and Rice Wine.

Ingredient Notes for 辣味茄子炒牛

The chili bean paste used in this recipe is the Lee Kum Kee™ Brand Spicy Bean Sauce. Since this is not especially fiery, I have augmented it with plain old Chili Paste. For the latter you could use any general chili paste such as Sambal Oelek, or even Sriracha Sauce.

How to make Spicy Beef and Eggplant

You first want to toss the beef with the salt and cornstarch and then mix everything well so that the starch is absorbed them into the meat as much as possible. Afterwards, stir in the oil to coat the pieces and set aside for an hour or so. The cornstarch will give a coating to the surface of the beef to keep it moist and tender during cooking, and the oil serves to stop the pieces from sticking together when being deep-fried.

Make the sauce by mixing together the Chili Bean Paste, Sugar, and Rice Wine, along with additional Chili Paste.

The beef is first deep-fried at medium heat until it is just browned on the outside, but still largely uncooked at the center. This process makes for very tender beef after it is fried a second time with the other ingredients.

The scallion and eggplant are flash-fried at very high heat. You heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a pan over very high heat and, just as the oil begins to smoke, throw in the scallion followed by the eggplant a moment or two later. Now, you stir and toss rapidly, letting the eggplant pieces blister and darken somewhat. The high heat will make the onion very sweet and give a nice smoky taste to the eggplant.

Finally, the beef is added back to the pan along with the sauce mix. This just needs to be cooked for a minute or so longer until the sauce is bubbling and hot, and has reduced slightly. Serve this dish immediately.

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Spicy Beef and Eggplant

Spicy Beef and Eggplant is a hearty home-style dish that pairs strips of tender Beef with batons of Eggplant in an umami-rich and fiery Chili Bean Paste.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Marinating Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Beef, Chili Bean Paste, Eggplant, Rice Wine, Scallion

Servings: 4 as one dish in a Chinese meal

Author: John Thompson

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Beefsteak sliced across the grain in strips;
• ½ tsp. Garlic Salt;
• 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch;
• 1 ½ Tbsp. Vegetable Oil;
• ¼ cup Chili Bean Paste;
• 1 tsp. Chili Paste or more or less to taste;
• 1 tbsp. Sugar;
• 4 tbsp. Rice Wine;
• 3 Scallions cut in 2-inch lengths;
• 2 small slender Asian Eggplants; cut into 2-inch batons.

Instructions

• Toss the beef with the salt and cornstarch, stir in the oil to coat the pieces, and set aside for an hour or so.
• Mix the Bean sauce, chili, sugar and rice wine together in a bowl and set aside.
• Deep-fry the beef at a moderate heat until just browned.
• Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a pan over high heat, throw in the scallion followed by the eggplant, and stir rapidly, letting the eggplant pieces blister and darken here and there.
• Add in the beef, followed by the sauce mix and cook for a little longer until the sauce reduces slightly.
• Serve immediately.