Ingredients:
3 medium Japanese eggplant, about 12" long
1 pound of fish paste (fresh or frozen)
1 small chunk of fresh ginger
1 small piece of dried mandarin orange peel (optional)
2-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
Sauce:
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon black beans
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Preparation:
1. Rinse eggplant and cut off stem section.
2. Cut each eggplant diagonally into eight pieces.
3. Defrost fish paste if using frozen.
4. Squeeze juice from ginger and mix into fish paste.
5. Optional: soak orange peel in water about 15 minutes, rinse, finely chop, mix into fish paste.
6. Finely chop garlic.
7. Rinse black beans.
8. Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and mix well. Add soy sauce. Set aside.
9. Take 1 tablespoon of fish paste and spread it over each piece of eggplant.

Cooking instructions:
1. Boil 2 cups water in a wok or steamer pot.
2. Place stuffed eggplant in a steamer dish and steam about 10 minutes. Drain any standing water from the dish.
3. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over high heat in a small saucepan, add black beans and garlic, cook about 1 minute.
4. Re-mix cornstarch solution, lower heat to medium, pour into black beans and garlic.
5. Mix well, heat until it bubbles slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Using a flat bottom frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
7. Using chopsticks or tongs, gently lift each piece of eggplant from steamer dish and turn upside down (fish paste side down) into hot oil.
8. Place as many pieces as will fit into pan, fry each piece about 2 minutes until the fish paste is slightly browned.
9. Turn over and fry eggplant side about 30 seconds.
10. Remove from pan and place on a serving dish.
11. Repeat from step 6 until all the eggplant has been browned.
12. Pour black bean and garlic sauce mixture over eggplant.
13. Serve as an appetizer or main dish.

Makes 24 pieces.

Mixing ginger juice and orange peel into the fish paste will help to reduce the fishy taste.