Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Yuxiang Sauce Base
Prep. Time:
10 minutes
Baking Time:
5 minutes
Total Time:
15 minutes
Serves:
Enough for 4 servings (full dish)
Laurence created this dish for Top Chef ™ Season 23. This is the aromatic sauce base at the heart of the yu shiang eggplant dish — a Sichuan flavour tradition that achieves simultaneous spice, sourness, savouriness, and sweetness without any single note dominating. Laurence’s version amplifies the c...
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Ingredients
YUXIANG SAUCE BASE
Carolina Reaper, finely minced | ½–1 Reaper | ~1–2 g | Wear gloves
Doubanjiang (spicy fermented bean paste) | 3 tbsp | 45 g
Garlic, fresh, minced | 6 cloves | 30 g
Ginger, fresh, minced | 2 tbsp | 20 g
Shaoxing rice wine | 3 tbsp | 45 ml | Dry sherry as substitute
Chinkiang black vinegar | 2 tbsp | 30 ml | Balsamic as substitute
Soy sauce, light | 3 tbsp | 45 ml
Granulated sugar | 2 tsp | 8 g
Cornstarch | 2 tsp | 6 g | Mixed with 2 tbsp water to form slurry
Neutral oil, peanut or grapeseed | 2 tbsp | 30 ml
Sesame oil, toasted | 1 tsp | 5 ml | Finish only
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Instructions
YUXIANG SAUCE BASE
1. Wearing gloves, finely mince the Carolina Reaper(s), removing the seeds if you want controlled heat. Combine the minced Reaper with the doubanjiang, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Shaoxing wine, Chinkiang vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch slurry — this is your finishing sauce.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil in a wok or saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the doubanjiang-Reaper-garlic-ginger paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until deeply fragrant and the oil turns vivid red — do not let it scorch. Add the finishing sauce and stir to combine.
3. To use as a braise sauce: add ¼ cup stock and simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. To use as a cold dressing: remove from heat immediately, stir in the sesame oil, and allow to cool completely before refrigerating. The sauce base keeps refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for 2 months.
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