Bo Lings Stuffed Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce

Source: Richard Ng, owner/chef, Bo Lings, Kansas City, Missouri

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

3/4 pound Chinese purple eggplant
1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and shelled
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch white pepper
Approximately 2 cups vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon Chinese fermented black bean, rinsed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
2 cups water, divided
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white cooking wine
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Rinse eggplant and dry. Diagonally slice the eggplant into 1 1/2-inch thick slices. (This will create diagonally sliced, round discs.) With the tip of a knife, slice a pocket into each piece, slicing parallel to the surface and slicing only about 3/4 of the way through each slice. Each eggplant disc now has an opening for the shrimp stuffing.

Chop shrimp into pieces about the size of corn kernels. Place shrimp in a bowl and season with salt and pepper; mix until shrimp becomes sticky, about 4 minutes.

Using a table knife, stuff about 1 to 2 teaspoons shrimp mixture into the pocket in each eggplant slice. Dip knife into cold water between stuffing to smooth shrimp filling. (This step could take 15 to 20 minutes.)

Pour 1 cup oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Pan-fry stuffed eggplant until brown on both sides. (Eggplant absorbs oil like a sponge; add additional oil if pan becomes dry or eggplant will not brown.) When brown, remove from pan and set aside to drain.

Pour 1 tablespoon oil into a hot wok. Add black bean, garlic and ginger; stir-fry until ingredients become a light brown. Add 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, soy sauce and wine. Stir together cornstarch with 1/2 cup water, mixing until well-dissolved. Slowly pour cornstarch mixture into wok, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, until mixture has the consistency of syrup. Stir in sesame seed oil, then remove from heat.

Dip each eggplant piece in sauce to coat well, then place each piece on a small, heatproof plate. Place plate in steamer and steam over boiling water 12 to 15 minutes.

Serve warm.

Per serving, based on 3: 933 calories (77 percent from fat), 80 grams total fat (10 grams saturated), 230 milligrams cholesterol, 21 grams carbohydrates, 33 grams protein, 1,270 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber