Lionhead meatball soup
Enjoy these Shanghai-style mini 'lionhead' meatballs in a rich, earthy and sweet broth made with Chinese leaf and dried shiitake mushrooms
Sichuan-style yuxiang aubergine
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Serves 4 to share
Skip to ingredients
- 200g dehydrated minced soy
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 200g (3-4) baby auberginestrimmed and sliced into quarters lengthways
- 1 tsp toasted whole Sichuan pepper
- 2 garlic clovesfinely chopped
- 2.5cm piece gingerpeeled and finely grated
- 1 red chillideseeded and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 heaped tbsp chilli bean paste
- 2 tbsp shaoxing rice wineor dry sherry
- 2 spring onionstrimmed and finely sliced, to garnish
For the sauce
- 200ml vegetable stockcold
- 2 tbsp chinkiang black rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp tamarior low-sodium light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp golden syrupor agave syrup
- 1 tbsp cornflour
Nutrition: Per serving
- kcal327
- fat9g
- saturates1g
- carbs31g
- sugars11g
- fibre4g
- protein28g
- salt2.9g
Method
step 1
Tip the minced soy into a bowl, pour over 400ml hot boiling water from the kettle. Fluff up the grains. Set aside for 5 mins.
step 2
Stir all the ingredients for the sauce in a jug. Set aside until needed.
step 3
Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking, then add 1 tbsp rapeseed oil. Add the aubergines and cook, stirring, for 5 mins, until browned. As you cook it, keep adding drops of water, up to about 50ml in total. This will create steam to help soften the aubergine (rather than frying it in lots of oil). Repeat this process about three times until the aubergines have softened.
step 4
Push the aubergine to the far side of the wok (away from you). Add the remaining 1 tbsp rapeseed oil. Add the Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger and chilli, and stir for a few seconds, then toss into the aubergines. Push this all to one side of the wok, then add the rehydrated minced soy and stir for 30 seconds. Season with the dark soy sauce, chilli bean paste and shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. Pour over the sauce from the jug and bring to the bubble, cooking for 1-2 mins on high heat until the sauce thickens. Give it a final mix. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle over the spring onions and serve immediately with jasmine rice.
