Super Secret Online Cooking Society !

Ingredients
- 2 (10 oz. / 300 g) small Chinese long eggplant , chopped to bite-size pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (*see footnote 3)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Stir-fry
- 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon ginger , minced
- 3 cloves garlic , chopped

Instructions
(1) (Option 1) Place eggplant in a large bowl and add water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt, mix well. Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant under water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
(2) (Option 2) Spread the sliced eggplant out on a paper towel. Sprinkle Kosher salt on both sides of the eggplant slices. Allow to rest for 45-60 minutes. Pat dry without rinsing.
(3) Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mix well.
(4) Sprinkle eggplant with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix by hand, until eggplant is evenly coated with with a thin layer of cornstarch.
(5) Add 2 tablespoons oil to a big nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat until hot. Spread eggplant across the bottom of the skillet without overlapping. Cook the eggplant one side at a time until all the surfaces are charred and the eggplant turns soft, 8 to 10 minutes in total. Transfer the eggplants to a plate. If the skillet gets too hot and starts to smoke, turn to medium heat.
(6) Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil, the ginger and garlic into the same skillet. Stir a few times until fragrant. Add all the eggplant back into the skillet. Mix the sauce again until cornstarch is fully dissolved and pour it over the eggplant. Immediately stir a few times, until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a big plate.
(7) Serve hot as a side or as main over steamed rice or noodles.

Ingredients
- 2 (1 lbs / 450 g in total) eggplant , cut to 8-cm (3-inch) sticks
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cornstarch , to coat the eggplant

Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 tablespoon Doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Cook
- 1/2 cup peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
- 4 green onions , chopped
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic about 8 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger , minced
- 1/2 lbs (230 g) vegetarian ground pork
- 8 to 10 Chinese dried chili peppers (or Korean dried chili peppers)

Instructions
(1) Chop eggplant into long sticks of about 2-inch (5-cm) long and 1/4-inch (6-mm) thick.
(2) Place eggplant in a large bowl and add water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt, mix well. Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant under water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
(3) Add all the sauce ingredients into a bowl. Stir to mix well.
(4) Sprinkle eggplant with cornstarch and mix by hand, until eggplant is evenly coated with with a thin layer of cornstarch.
(5) Add oil to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat until hot. Spread eggplant across the bottom of the skillet without overlapping (you might need to cook in 2 or 3 batches). Fry the eggplant one side at a time until all the surfaces are charred and the eggplant turns soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining batch(es) with the same method. If the skillet gets too hot and starts to smoke, turn to medium heat.
(6) Once the eggplant is all cooked, remove the pan from the stove. Drain extra oil and only leave 1 tablespoon in the pan by pouring the oil into a heatproof bowl, or wipe the pan with a few layers of paper towels attached to the front end of a pair of tongs.
(7) Add the Sichuan peppercorns into the pan. Cook over medium heat until the peppercorns turn dark brown. Remove them with a spatula and transfer to a small bowl. Add the pork. Cook and chop with your spatula, until separated into small bits and cooked through. Add green onion, garlic, ginger, and dried chili peppers. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
(8) Stir the sauce again to completely dissolve the cornstarch, then pour into the pan. Stir until the sauce thickens. Return the eggplant to the pan and quickly stir to mix everything well.
(9) Turn to the lowest heat and taste the sauce (be careful, it will be very hot!) Adjust flavor by sprinkling a bit more salt or sugar, if needed. Turn to medium heat and mix well again. Transfer everything to a plate immediately.
(10) Serve hot over steamed rice as a main.