Sichuan Eggplant with Minced Pork
Tender eggplant and minced pork meet a glossy, sweet, tangy, savoury sauce with a little chilli. Serve with white rice.
By Cookin' Kitchen
- Total: 30 minutes
- Servings: 4 servings
Recipe
Sichuan Eggplant with Minced Pork
Tender eggplant and minced pork meet a glossy, sweet, tangy, savoury sauce with a little chilli. Serve with white rice.
Cookin' · https://cookin.club/recipes/sichuan-eggplant-with-minced-pork
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Cook
- 20 minutes
- Total
- 30 minutes
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
For 4 servings
Eggplant and stir-fry
Sauce
To serve
Equipment
- Wok
- Slotted spoon
- Paper towel-lined tray
- Jug
- Serving bowl
- Large nonstick pan with lid
- Plate
Instructions
Deep-fried eggplant method
Step 1: ABBREVIATED - Mix sauce. Fry eggplant until soft. Keep 2T oil. Cook pork 2 min, then garlic, ginger and white part green onion for 30 sec. Cook chilli + broad bean sauce 1 min. Add eggplant and sauce in 2 batches, once thickened, serve!
Step 2: Mix the cornflour and light soy sauce in a jug until lump-free. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and mix to combine. Set aside.
Step 3: Heat the oil in a wok over high heat to 180°C/350°F. Add half the eggplant and fry for about 4 minutes, gently stirring and turning it a few times, until soft all the way through and lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined tray. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Step 4: Carefully remove the leftover oil from the wok, leaving 2 tablespoons for cooking.
Step 5: Let the wok cool slightly, then return it to high heat. Add the pork and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, breaking it up as you go, until no pink remains. Add the garlic, ginger and white part of the green onion. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the pickled red chilli and broad bean sauce and cook for 1 minute.
Step 6: Quickly mix the sauce to dissolve any settled cornflour. Add the eggplant and half the sauce to the wok. Toss gently for about 30 to 45 seconds, until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the remaining sauce and toss gently for 45 seconds, until thickened to a consistency between maple syrup and honey.
Step 7: Turn off the heat. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the green onion. Serve with rice.
Pan-steamed eggplant option
Step 8: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large nonstick pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the eggplant for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
Step 9: Carefully add 1/3 cup water around the eggplant; it will steam. Immediately cover with a lid to trap the steam. Steam for 2 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and the eggplant is soft all the way through. If needed, add more water and continue steaming.
Step 10: Transfer the eggplant to a plate. Continue with the recipe using the large nonstick pan instead of a wok.
Notes
Substitutions
For the pickled red chilli and broad bean sauce, use either 2 tsp miso, 3 tsp sambal oelek and 1 tsp chopped pickled hot peppers, or 1 tbsp chilli bean sauce and 2 tsp chopped pickled hot peppers.
You can replace dark soy sauce with light soy sauce for a lighter-coloured sauce with slightly less flavour. Use all-purpose soy sauce in place of light soy sauce, but do not replace light soy with dark soy. If you do not have Chinese black vinegar, use half balsamic vinegar and half rice vinegar.
Chicken or turkey can replace the pork, though the meat will be leaner. Leftovers keep for 3 days; the eggplant softens and releases moisture, so the dish is best freshly made.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 383 kcal
- Fat
- 34 g
- Saturated fat
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 16 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Protein
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 521 mg
- Cholesterol
- 18 mg
Estimated values; they will vary with the exact ingredients and brands you use.
About this recipe
Soft eggplant and a little minced pork are coated in a glossy sauce that balances savoury, sweet and tangy flavours with mild chilli heat. Serve it with white rice to catch the sauce.
Choose the deep-fried method for silky eggplant, or pan-steam it with less oil. Have the ingredients ready before you start stir-frying.
Ingredients to know
Pickled red chilli and Chinese broad bean sauce give the dish its distinctive savoury, spicy tang. Chinese black vinegar rounds out the sauce.
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