Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce (魚香茄子, yúxiāngqiézi)

Quite nice, but not as exciting as the recipes we're used to. We made some changes, such as substituting sha cha sauce for hot bean paste, and omitting the minced pork, which might have influenced the taste in a negative way. Culpa nostra. We also decided midway not to deep-fry the aubergines but to fry the next batch in just a little oil - it was a vast difference in how much oil they took, but in the end, you didn't taste it at all.

Fun fact: The literal translation of this dish is 'fish-flavoured eggplant'. I can assure you that no fish has been used in this dish.

We served this with Braised Spare Ribs with Black Beans .

Edited the next day to add: We prepared this dish again, and this time we used hot bean paste (sold by Lee Kum Kee as 'Chilli Bean Sauce') and minced pork, and it was such a difference! Much better! Upgraded to 4 stars as a result.

Edited 2 November 2013: Server with Stir-Fried Squid with Garlic and Chilli, a very good combination!