Crispy Eggplant in Sweet XO Sauce

⏳ Time

40 minutes

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

To prepare the XO sauce closer to the original, you can add an additional 200 grams of dried ham. This should also be deep-fried, just like the other ingredients. The sauce is perfect not only for this recipe, so any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and used later in cooking. The sauce can last for about a week.

Ingredients

Eggplants - 3 pieces
Wheat Flour - 17.6 oz
Corn Flour for Polenta - 4.2 oz
Sugar - 1.1 oz
Oyster Mushrooms - ½ spoons
Soy Sauce - ½ spoons
Sesame Oil - 1 fl oz
Rice Sweet Wine - 1 tablespoon
Toasted Sesame - to taste
Romaine lettuce - 5.3 oz
Cherry Tomato Confit - 3 pieces
Lychee - 5 pieces
Vegetable Oil - 2 qt
Dried Chili Pepper - 3.5 oz
Shallot - 17.6 oz
Garlic - 14.1 oz
Dried Squid - 7.1 oz
Dried Squid - 10.6 oz
Salt - 0.7 oz
Bouillon cube - 0.6 oz
Baking Powder - 0.2 oz
Vegetable Oil - 3 fl oz
Water - 23 fl oz

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Start by preparing the sauce. Remove the seeds from the chili and chop it very finely. Slice the shallots and garlic. Grind the dried shrimp into a powder.

Step 2

Boil the dried scallops for 1–2 minutes, then mash them with a spoon, which will be easy to do as the scallop will become very soft. Fry the chili, shallots, garlic, shrimp, and scallops separately in vegetable oil until golden brown.

Step 3

Next, blend the chili, shallots, and garlic in a blender, using oil from the frying process. Add the shrimp and scallops, and stir with a spoon. Season with salt, add a tablespoon of sugar, and mix again. Set the sauce aside.

Step 4

To prepare the batter, mix the chicken broth, 40 ml of sesame oil, 100 ml of vegetable oil, baking powder, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Then, add corn flour and 400 g of wheat flour, and mix again. Finally, add water and adjust the batter to a consistent texture.

Step 5

Peel the eggplants and cut them into medium-sized pieces. Then coat them in flour, dip them in batter, and deep-fry at 356°F for 4–5 minutes.

Step 6

Mix one tablespoon of XO sauce with one teaspoon of sugar, plum jam, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Chinese wine, and one teaspoon of sesame oil.

Step 7

Chop the tomatoes, lychee, and lettuce. Then, combine the previously prepared eggplant, vegetables, and herbs with the sauce, tossing gently. Serve on the table, garnished with sesame seeds.