Fish-Fragrant Eggplant

Fish-Fragrant Eggplant is a perfect example of Sichuan's genius for flavor layering. 'Fish-fragrant' (yuxiang) is a flavor profile, not an ingredient — it combines pickled chilies, ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar to create a sauce that was originally used for fish dishes. The eggplant is deep-fried until silky, then tossed in this sauce. The result is savory, sweet, sour, and spicy all at once.

📖 History

The yuxiang flavor profile was invented in Sichuan to cook fish, but home cooks discovered it paired even better with eggplant because the spongy texture absorbs the sauce perfectly.