Steamed Aubergines with Chillied Garlic

I am very choosy about the aubergines I use for this dish. The familiar pear-shaped ones with purple-black glossy skins are not ideal. The right ones are the large round pale-purple aubergines, which are by no means impossible to find in most places but which are, I must admit, not always easily available. They have lovely thick flesh which becomes so juicy when they are cooked whole – either baked in the oven or steamed. If you suspect that this dish originated in China, then you are proba