Stir-Fried Eggplant with Homemade Chilli Sauce

Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, trimmed, halved 5 tbs peanut oil bunch coriander leaves, stems and roots, finely sliced 3 spring onions, finely sliced 1 tsp Sichuan pepper and salt For the homemade chilli sauce cup peanut oil 6 long red chillies, roughly chopped 10 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 7cm piece ginger, roughly chopped 1 tbs tamari soy sauce For the Sichuan pepper and salt 1 tbs Sichuan peppercorns 3 tbs sea salt flakes

Method
1.Cut eggplant into 5cm irregular and same-sized pieces, then sprinkle well with sea salt and spread onto a tray in one layer. Set aside for at least 30 minutes. Rinse well, then drain and pat dry with paper towel. 2.To make the chilli sauce, heat the oil in a wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly. Add chillies, garlic and ginger and stir constantly over medium heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, still stirring, for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir through the tamari. 3.Dry-roast peppercorns and salt in small heavy-based frying pan until the peppercorns are fragrant and begin to pop. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool, then grind to a powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. (You can store the mixture in an airtight container). 4.Heat the peanut oil in a wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly. Add eggplant and stir-fry over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and stir-fry for a further 5-7 minutes or until eggplant is tender. 5.Add the chilli sauce to the eggplant and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the coriander and spring onions, tossing to combine. 6.Transfer to a large serving plate and season with Sichuan pepper and salt. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6 as part of shared meal