Hunan Eggplant with Spicy Meat Sauce

This is a spice lover’s delight of soft shredded eggplant, nubbled with minced pork and redolent of hot chili and garlic. To eat it will put sweat on your brow—the unabashed joy of most Hunanese and Szechwanese who, living for much of the year in a hot and humid climate, look to the chili as a culinary sort of air-conditioning. The palate smolders and the body feels refreshed. It is a phenomenon known to Indians, Mexicans, and Chinese alike.

• True to Hunan taste