Chinese eggplants with minced pork and spicy garlic sauce is a humble and popular dish in Chinese kitchen.A small amount of minced pork can greatly improve the taste of eggplants, which can rich the layers of a humble eggplant stir-fry. For vegan readers, you can simply skip minced pork or try this eggplants with garlic sauce.
Eggplants are quite yummy when well cooked. The soft texture can greatly absorb the spicy garlic sauce and endow the dish great flavor. The most common way of cooking eggplants in China includes Chinese spicy eggplant salad, eggplants with green beans, Chinese Yu Xiang eggplants and DiSanxian (three treasure of the earth)
Remove the ends of Asian eggplants and then cut into small cubes (for the best flavor, try to cut each cubes with some skin). Transfer them into a large pot filled with water, add pinch of salt and soak for 10 minutes. Add a weight if necessary to make sure the eggplants is well soaked.
Set aside to drain completely.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok and fry the eggplants for 6-9 minutes until the eggplants become soft and withered. Transfer eggplants out and leave the oil in.
Add marinated pork in to stir-fry until the color changes into white. Transfer out.
Re-heat around 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in wok and fry garlic, ginger, spring oil and doubanjiang until aroma. Return the eggplants along with fried minced pork, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Mix well.
Chinese Eggplants with Minced Pork
Ingredients
- 2 long Asian eggplants
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup minced pork
- 1 tsp. minced ginger
- ½ tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
- 3 tbsp. cooking oil ,divided
- 2 garlic cloves ,sliced
- 1 thumb ginger ,sliced
- 2 green onions ,white half and green half divided
- ½ tbsp. doubanjiang ,skip this if you prefer a mild taste or double for a hotter version
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp. sugar
- ½ tsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Remove the ends of Asian eggplants and then cut into small cubes (for the best flavor, try to cut each cubes with some skin). Transfer them into a large pot filled with water, add pinch of salt and soak for 10 minutes. Add a weight if necessary to make sure the eggplants is well soaked. Set aside to drain completely.
- Marinate minced pork with minced ginger, a small pinch of salt and Chinese cooking wine. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok and fry the eggplants for 6-9 minutes until the eggplants become soft and withered. Transfer eggplants out and leave the oil in.
- Add marinated pork in to stir-fry until the color changes into white. Transfer out.
- Re-heat around 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in wok and fry green onion white parts, garlic, ginger, and doubanjiang until aroma. Return the eggplants along with fried minced pork, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Mix well.
- Garnish chopped green onion (green parts) and serve with steamed rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Carmen
The flavor was great, but there wasn’t much sauce following the recipe. The picture looked like there was quite a bit.
Elaine
Carmen,
If you want it a little bit saucy, slightly add more oil.
Grace
It worked out really nicely for me. I added some Korean kojukaru since I didn't have any of the Chinese hot sauce mentioned and it turned out well. Thanks for posting.
Elaine
Thank you Grace for your detailed feedback!!
Maggy
What's the purpose of studying the eggplants
Matt
I made this tonight and it was very tasty. A nice light dinner.
Elaine
Thank you Matt for the lovely feedback.
Jen
Loved it so did my husband. Only found that I needed a lot more oil as the eggplant absorbed it all in the first go.
Elaine
You can add oil in the middle of the process whenever feel the oil is not enough.
Alexis
I added more pork and more flavorings to the meat marinade, and took your suggestion to coat in cornstarch. Delicious! Eating over mixian noodles.
I think it would be good with the addition of some whole fermented black beans as well for a textural component since the pixian is typically more of a blended paste 🙂
Elaine
Sure, Alexis. You can make it a black bean sauce flavor too.
L
I love this so! Have made it a few times. I would suggest though that you add a slight edit: that coating the eggplant in cornstarch extends the cook time considerably. No big deal since I love the flavor in the end, but just a suggestion ?
Elaine
Lovely point!! Yes you can try to skip this step.