Detailed Recipe for Hunan Style Mashed Chili, Eggplant & Preserved Egg (Lei La Jiao Pi Dan Qie Zi)

 This is a classic, super appetizing home-style dish from Hunan cuisine.

 It features smoky roasted chili, soft creamy eggplant, and rich preserved eggs, mashed together with a savory, slightly spicy dressing.

 It is fragrant, tender, and an excellent rice-pairing side dish.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 2 long purple eggplants
• 3–4 fresh green chilies (or spicy Hunan chili peppers)
• 2 preserved eggs (century eggs)

Aromatics

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 small piece ginger
• A little chopped scallion

Seasonings

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• ½ tsp sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp chili oil (optional)
• A little white pepper
• Sesame oil
• Proper cooking oil

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare and roast the chilies

   Wash green chilies, remove stems. Heat a dry pan over low heat, put chilies in and roast slowly. Press and turn constantly until the skin is charred and wrinkled, and a strong smoky aroma comes out.

   Take out the chilies, let them cool slightly, then peel off the charred skin. Tear the chilies into strips by hand.
2. Cook the eggplants

   Wash eggplants, cut into long sections. Steam them over high heat for 12–15 minutes until fully soft and can be easily pierced with a chopstick.

   Take out the steamed eggplants, squeeze out excess water gently, then tear them into thin strips by hand.
3. Process preserved eggs

   Peel the preserved eggs, rinse them clean. Cut each into small dices or roughly mash them. Set aside.
4. Mince aromatics

   Peel garlic and ginger, chop them into fine mince. Put them into a bowl together with scallion sections.
5. Make the seasoning sauce

   In the bowl with garlic and ginger, add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, a pinch of salt and white pepper. Stir well until the seasonings dissolve.

   Add chili oil if you prefer a spicier taste.
6. Mash all ingredients (traditional Hunan way)

   Put the roasted chili strips, eggplant strips and preserved egg dices into a large bowl or a traditional mortar.

   Use a masher or pestle to gently mash and mix all ingredients together, so the flavors fully blend.
7. Mix with sauce and finish

   Pour the prepared seasoning sauce into the mashed mixture. Drizzle with a little sesame oil.

   Stir and mix evenly until all ingredients are coated with sauce.
8. Serve

   Transfer to a plate, sprinkle a little extra scallion for decoration. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm for the best flavor.

Cooking Tips

1. Roasting chilies with no oil is the key to the authentic smoky flavor of this dish.
2. Tearing eggplants by hand keeps a better texture than cutting with a knife.
3. Do not squeeze eggplants too dry, to keep them tender and juicy.
4. Adjust the number of chilies based on your tolerance for spiciness.
5. This dish tastes even better after resting for 10 minutes to let flavors fully infuse.

Braised Pork with Edamame

 Braised Pork with Edamame is a classic, comforting home-style Chinese dish. 

Tender, fatty pork is slow-braised with sweet, soft edamame, absorbing rich savory sauce.

 It is juicy, aromatic, and pairs perfectly with steamed rice, loved by all ages.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 400g pork belly (cubed)
• 200g fresh or frozen shelled edamame

Aromatics

• 3 slices ginger
• 2 scallions (tied into a bundle)
• 2 star anise
• 1 small piece cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)

Seasonings

• 1 tbsp cooking wine
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for color)
• 1 tsp rock sugar (or white sugar)
• Salt to taste
• A little cooking oil
• Hot water (enough to cover pork)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prep the pork belly

   Cut pork belly into 2–3 cm cubes. Rinse well.

   Bring a pot of cold water to boil, add pork cubes, 1 slice ginger and a little cooking wine.

   Blanch for 3–4 minutes to remove blood foam.

   Remove pork, rinse with warm water and drain thoroughly.
2. Sauté the pork

   Heat a small amount of oil in a pot or deep pan over medium heat.

   Add blanched pork cubes, stir-fry until slightly golden and some fat is rendered.
3. Add aromatics and seasonings

   Add ginger, garlic, star anise and cinnamon. Stir-fry briefly until fragrant.

   Pour in cooking wine, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Stir to coat pork evenly.

   Add rock sugar, stir until sugar melts.
4. Braise the pork

   Pour in enough hot water to fully cover the pork.

   Add the scallion bundle. Bring to a boil, then turn to low heat.

   Cover and simmer gently for 40–50 minutes, until pork is soft and tender.
5. Add edamame

   Add shelled edamame to the pot. Stir gently.

   Continue braising on low heat for 10–15 minutes, until edamame is soft and absorbs sauce.
6. Reduce sauce and finish

   Remove the scallion bundle and spices.

   Add a pinch of salt to taste.

   Turn to medium heat, stir occasionally to thicken the sauce until it coats the pork and edamame.

   Turn off heat. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Cooking Tips

1. Use hot water when braising to keep pork tender and not tough.
2. Low heat slow braising is key for melt-in-mouth pork.
3. Do not add edamame too early, to keep it bright green and intact.
4. Adjust salt and sugar according to your taste.
5. For a lighter version, skim excess fat from the surface before serving.