Spicy Eggplants with Minced Pork in Clay Pot

This popular Chinese dish, Spicy Eggplants with Minced Pork (魚香茄子) is always in our family’s menu. Although I can easily get very big eggplants here, when it comes to cooking this dish, I like to use the smaller ones, purple in colour, with a slim and long shape as well as soft skin. Having said that, no matter what kind of eggplants you choose, this dish would definitely be delicious. The spongy texture of eggplant absorbs all the flavours and sauce, giving you a heavenly taste. Some people might not like its bitter taste. But if the sliced eggplants are rinsed with salty water before cooking, this step will help remove much of the bitterness. More importantly, the eggplants should be cooked thoroughly.

Ingredients:

• 450 gm eggplant
• 170 gm minced pork
• 1/2 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp minced shallot
• 1 Tbsp garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp chili bean sauce (available at Asian stores)
• water, adjust while cooking

Marinade:

• 1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cornflour
• 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp water
• pepper, to taste

Seasoning:

• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp water
• sesame oil, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Thickening:

• 1 tsp cornflour
• 2 Tbsp water

Method:

1. Rinse eggplant. Trim and julienne as picture shown. Soak in water with a bit of salt dissolved for a while. Drain well. Marinate pork mince for 20 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a clay pot over medium. Sauté half of the minced garlic, shallot, ginger and chili bean sauce. Add eggplant and stir fry constantly. Also add hot water bit by bit all the way of stir frying. Don’t add too much water at a time, just add small amount to avoid burning or sticking to the bottom of clay pot. Coat the eggplant with sauce evenly, then add some boiling water to simmer until eggplants softened.
3. While stir frying the eggplant, use another frying pan to heat some cooking oil. Add another half of minced garlic, shallot, ginger and chili bean sauce until aromatic. Add pork and stir fry until cooked.
4. When the eggplant is softened, toss the minced pork in clay pot. Stir fry quickly. Turn heat to medium. Add seasoning and continue to cook. Bring it to boil. Add thickening to your preference. Serve hot.

Note:

• It’s not necessary to soak the julienned eggplant in water with salt. But this step would help to remove its bitterness and keep its purple colour fresh from cooking. Or simply peel off the skin instead.