epicurious
Fish-Fragrant Eggplant With Minced Pork
Give the humble eggplant the attention it deserves with a rich and spicy sauce.
👥 4 Servings👤 Jeremy Pang📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●bowl
- ●frying pan
- ●pan
- ●mixing bowl
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Leaving the skin on, cut the eggplants in half lengthways. Then cut them into 3–4 cm (1¼–1½ inch) chunks, to end up with approx. 12–16 pieces (depending on the size of your eggplants).
2
Finely chop the garlic, chile, ginger, and cilantro, taking care to keep the chile and coriander separate. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Tip the minced pork into a separate bowl, then add the marinade ingredients and mix well.
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3
Now build your wok clock: place your eggplant pieces at 12 o’clock, then arrange the garlic, ginger, marinated minced pork, chile, the sauce bowl and lastly the cilantro clockwise around the plate.
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4
If deep-frying, put the vegetable oil into a wok and heat to 350°F, or use a wooden skewer or wooden chopstick to test by placing the tip in the oil: if the wood starts to fizz after a second or two, the oil is hot enough. Carefully add the eggplant pieces and fry for ⏱️ 3 minutes, to immediately seal in their moisture and flavor. Have a metal or ceramic bowl ready with a metal sieve placed on top. Pour the eggplant and oil into the sieve to drain the excess oil, setting the aubergine aside for later.
5
If you prefer to pan-fry rather than deep-fry, place the eggplant pieces in a mixing bowl and massage well with 1½ Tbsp. of oil. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and cook the eggplant, flesh side down, for 3–⏱️ 4 minutes per side, until both sides are browned. Put into a bowl and set aside for later.
6
Return the wok to the hob on a medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic, immediately followed by the minced pork, and begin to stir-fry, breaking up the meat and browning it well. Bring the wok to a high heat and, once smoking hot, add the sauce and bring to a vigorous boil. Put the aubergine back into the wok and reduce the heat to medium-low, allowing the sauce to simmer and caramelize around the eggplant pieces. Cover with a lid and boil for 8–⏱️ 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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7
Scatter over the chopped cilantro and serve.
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