Spicy Pork & Braised Eggplant

INGREDIENTS: 

• 3 small eggplants or 1 large eggplant, cut into large wedges

• 1/2 cup of flour or cornstarch (enough to lightly coat each eggplant wedge)

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1/2 lb of ground pork

• 3 dried long red chillies, cut into small pieces (or left whole for a milder experience)

• 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine

• 1/2 cup beef, chicken, or vegetable stock

• 1 tbsp finely grated ginger (or ginger paste)

• At least 3 garlic cloves, finely minced (there's no such thing as too much garlic!)

• 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water

• 1 finely chopped spring onion (scallions) to garnish

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• Optional: chili oil

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• Wash the eggplants and chop into wedges

• Liberally salt the eggplant wedges and leave them to drain in a colander for at least 15 minutes for it to soak in

• In the meanwhile, mince at least 3 cloves of garlic (the more, the better!)

• Dry the eggplant wedges with a paper towel and coat them with some cornflour.

• Heat some more vegetable oil in the pan. Add the eggplant wedges and sear for about 2-3 minutes on each side in the hot oil. Add some additional oil little by little if you see that the eggplant has absorbed most of it. Remove the eggplant into a separate bowl.

• Heat the vegetable oil in the pan over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and chillies and stir-fry for half a minute. Add the ground pork and let it cook in the hot oil without touching the pork for about 2 minutes so that the bottom of the meat is able to develop some color. Add Shaoxing wine around the perimeter and let the cook for a few more minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Then add a few dashes of white pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, sugar, and chicken/beef/vegetable stock.

• Stir-fry the pork until it is almost cooked through and then lower the heat so that the sauce is at a light simmer.

• Add the eggplant wedges back into the pan with the ground pork mixture and toss thoroughly to coat each wedge with the sauce (you don't want to see any of that cornflour). Cover with a lid, turn the heat to medium, and simmer for 30 minutes (be sure to check halfway through the cooking time to make sure there's adequate liquid in the pan. If the mixture looks too dry, add a 1/4 cup of water or stock).

• After the eggplant has cooked for 30 minutes, remove the lid, add in the corn flour slurry, and stir for a couple fo seconds until the sauce becomes thick and glossy.

• In a separate saucepan, add the sesame oil and cook the sliced spring onion (scallion) for 30 seconds or until fragrance. Don't overcook the spring onion because the sesame oil will eventually lose its fragrance!

• Add the eggplant dish into a preferred bowl or plate and drizzle the sesame oil with the spring onion on top to garnish.

• Optional: Add chili oil to give it more of a spicy kick! Serve with a bowl of white rice.

• *Notes: The cornflour coating should allow the eggplant wedges to develop a nice texture on the outside while helping to thicken up the sauce. If you don't have Chinese black vinegar, feel free to substitute with white vinegar.