Instructions: Pour enough warm water over the dried shrimp in a small bowl to cover them completely. Soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess water with your hands.

Prepare the stuffing: Combine the soaked dried shrimp, fish fillets, egg white, cornstarch, cilantro, sugar and salt in the work bowl of a food processor. Process to a smooth paste.

For the Dish: Trim and discard the eggplant stem. Cut the eggplant on the bias into 1-inch pieces. Butterfly each piece by cutting horizontally almost all the way through the slice, starting at one of the long sides. Quarter red bell pepper, remove the seeds, and trim the curved ends so the pieces lay flat. Cut the chili in half lengthwise and discard the stem, seeds and white fleshy ribs from the inside of the pepper.

Dust the vegetables lightly with cornstarch to coat them lightly. Spread the fish stuffing in an even layer over the inside of the pepper and chili pieces. Fill the butterflied eggplant slices with the remaining mousse, dividing it evenly. Dust the vegetables with additional cornstarch to coat them lightly.

Heat a 9- to 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Fry the peppers, mousse-side down, and the eggplant flesh-side down (turning once) until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the water, cover the skillet and cook until the stuffing is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a warm serving platter.

Pour off the water from the skillet and dry throughly. Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat over medium heat until hot. Add the black beans, garlic and chilies and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the stock, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly. Spoon the sauce over the peppers and eggplant and serve hot.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.