Fried Eggplant with Sichuan Meat Sauce

This dish makes use of a particular style of Sichuan seasoning that provides a highly aromatic blend of all the basic flavors—sweet, sour, salty, pungent, and bitter—in a sauce that has the subtle fragrance of the freshest seafood. To make this dish properly, you should use the long purple Asian eggplant. The traditional method of preparation uses your choice of ground meat, but you may substitute chopped dried black Chinese mushrooms instead for a vegetarian version, or simply prepare it w