2 weeks ago
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Today’s look is simply a cult classical I’ve chased for years. The un-inspiring name Chinese Eggplant and Minced Pork, often utilized connected menus, does it nary justice! It’s a flavour explosion, the saucy mentation of Sichuan Fish Fragrant Eggplant – sweet, savoury, tangy, and a small spot spicy. This 1 is simply a idiosyncratic favourite!
Spicy Sichuan Chinese eggplant with minced pork
Lovers of Sichuan nutrient – rejoice! Remember Chef Hannah, our Chinese cook astatine RTM who cracked the Beef successful Black Bean Sauce recipe? She’s back, with different copycat I begged her to maestro – Chinese eggplant with minced pork!
You cognize the crockery I mean – the 1 with those slippery brushed eggplant batons with a small spot of pork mince, smothered successful a fierce looking (though amazingly mild) glossy condiment packed with in-your-face savoury flavours and small bits of chilli.
It’s a Sichuan classical I’ve been connected a ngo to recreate for years, but conscionable couldn’t get the flavour rather right. I yet caved and asked Hannah to transcript a edifice mentation – and boom! She made 6 versions successful 1 evening, 1 aft the other, and cracked the code!
Bonus: This look calls for a travel to the Asian store but that said, our supermarket-sub mentation is truthful good, we’d person happily shared it – if we hadn’t already tasted the OG!.
Left: Hannah successful the throes of improvement (the integrative instrumentality astatine the apical is from the restaurant) and close – making this crockery astatine RTM for the squad to try.A spot astir today’s recipe
Today’s crockery is Sichuan Fish Fragrant Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qie Zi), a fashionable eggplant disturbance fry successful China made with a small spot of pork mince, semi-braised and disturbance fried successful a condiment that’s savoury, sweet, a spot tangy and a spot spicy. Sometimes it’s saucy, different times it’s not.
Here successful Australia, the mentation of this crockery that’s fashionable is saucy, and is typically listed connected menus with the thoroughly un-imaginative sanction “Eggplant with pork mince”, though sometimes restaurants volition spell rogue and adhd thing to the sanction similar “braised with chilli and vinegar” (wild, I know!).
Our look is specifically based connected the 1 served astatine Taste of Shanghai, a good known Chinese edifice concatenation present successful Sydney I’ve been frequenting for decades. Better known for their dumplings but they person different standout offerings including this eggplant and pork dish.
The top compliment of all
Hannah, successful lawsuit you don’t know, is simply a cook connected my food slope team and comes from a agelong enactment of chefs from China’s Szechuan province. She adjacent sent this look to her begetter (a superb cook himself), and his lone feedback was, “needs much oil.”
If you cognize Asian foodie families, that’s precocious praise – fundamentally codification for, “perfect, you nailed it, it’s amazing, 12 retired of 10!” Because nary one’s a tougher professional than family!
And that is however you cognize this look is dead-set legit. I committedness you volition not beryllium disappointed.
Thank you Chef Hannah. I person specified admiration for your cooking skills and anticipation to bring galore much to our readers successful the years to come!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need. Don’t beryllium enactment disconnected by unfamiliar ingredients—we tested this with regular market store substitutes and were blown away. Honestly, if Chef Hannah hadn’t already cracked the Rolls Royce version, I’d person stuck to the alternate mentation for myself (though I astir apt wouldn’t person dared people it – you’ll spot why!)
1. STIR FRY sauce
There’s rather a generous magnitude of condiment successful this crockery which is glossy and thickened truthful it coats the eggplant beautifully. Here’s what goes successful it:
Soy sauces – Dark soy makes the condiment darker and adds stronger soy flavour portion airy soy is much for salt. Substitutions:
dark soy with airy soy (expect a lighter condiment colour and somewhat little flavour)
light soy with immoderate all-purpose soy sauce.
do not sub the airy soy with acheronian soy (way excessively strong!)
Chinese achromatic vinegar – Looks similar balsamic vinegar and tastes a spot similar it excessively but with a flimsy savoury edge. Available astatine Asian stores and immoderate ample supermarkets, though honestly I wouldn’t get it conscionable for the tiny magnitude required successful this recipe. Substitute with fractional balsamic vinegar and fractional atom vinegar alternatively (it’s beauteous close).
Honey and sugar – To equilibrium the tang and savoury successful the sauce. Sugar conscionable adds sweetness whereas conscionable 1 spoon of honey, portion besides adding sweetness, makes the condiment wide and truly glossy alternatively than cloudy. Awesome cooking extremity from Hannah!
Cornflour / cornstarch – Thickens the condiment and makes it beautifully shiny.
2. Speciality add-ins
These 2 ingredients are indispensable for an authentic mentation of this crockery – the pickled reddish chilli was really the last portion of the puzzle that Chef Hannah figured retired to ace the recipe!
But don’t beryllium daunted if they dependable unfamiliar oregon you don’t unrecorded adjacent an Asian market store. Read connected for substitutions.
Chinese wide legume condiment (doubanjiang) – A fermented paste made from wide beans, soybeans, salt, and often chilli. Savoury, salty, and packed with umami. We use the spicy Sichuan mentation (Pixian doubanjiang), celebrated for dishes similar Mapo Tofu. Find it astatine Asian grocers.
Pickled reddish chilli (salted chillies) – Chopped, salted Chinese reddish chillies, utilized successful the archetypal Taste of Shanghai dish. You’ll spot flecks successful the last dish! It adds a mild spicy tang due to the fact that we lone usage 1 teaspoon.
We use Tan Tan Xiang brand, but you tin substitute with finely chopped pickled blistery peppers (like Hoyts brand), oregon adjacent jalapeños (yes, really!). Skip if you truly fearfulness spice, but you’ll suffer a furniture of flavour (because it adds brackish and tang too).
Substitutions
No Asian grocer nearby? Try 1 of these combinations utilizing supermarket ingredients. It’s 92% arsenic bully – our full squad was impressed!
Option 1: 2 tsp miso paste + 3 tsp sambal oelek + 1 tsp chopped pickled blistery peppers (like Hoyts)
Option 2: 1 tbsp chilli legume sauce* + 2 tsp chopped pickled blistery peppers
*Chilli legume condiment (Toban Djan) is antithetic from doubanjiang but inactive works good here. Lee Kum Lee marque is sold astatine some Coles and Woolworths in Australia, positive Asian stores and online (Amazon here).
3. STIR FRY ADD-INS
And present are the things that spell in the disturbance fry. There’s lone a tiny magnitude of pork – conscionable 100g/3.5oz – compared to the magnitude of eggplant which is however it’s expected to be.
Pork – This is the accepted nutrient though if you can’t devour it, it volition enactment with chickenhearted oregon turkey too, though these meats are leaner.
Eggplant (aubergine successful the UK) – You’ll request 1 ample oregon 2 mean eggplants. No request to peel the tegument – the bitterness is mostly bred retired these days. But if you prefer, spell up and peel utilizing a murphy peeler.
Oil – For cooking the eggplant and disturbance fry. Traditionally, the eggplant is deep-fried for that soft, silky texture lone lipid tin give. But we besides tested it with my favourite pan-steamed method utilizing conscionable 2 tablespoons of lipid – and it was inactive fantastic! The bold condiment makes up for it, and I’ve happily made the lighter mentation connected Tuesday nights.
Garlic and ginger – A bully magnitude is indispensable aromatic flavour basal for this recipe!
Green onion – Use the achromatic portion for cooking, and the acheronian greenish portion for garnish.
How to navigator Chinese eggplant with minced pork
Firstly, take a method to navigator the eggplant. Fried successful astir 1 cupful of lipid for the authentic method which volition marque the eggplant beautifully silky. Or, cookware steamed for a healthier version.
1. Fry eggplant (authentic method)
A wok is champion arsenic the curved signifier of the wok means you get much frying aboveground country utilizing little oil, past you tin usage the wok for cooking.
Fry – Heat the lipid connected precocious vigor until it is 180°C/350°F. Fry the eggplant successful 2 batches for astir 4 minutes each until lightly browned.
Remove the eggplant from the lipid utilizing a slotted spoon and drain connected a insubstantial towel lined plate.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the lipid successful the wok which we volition usage to navigator the eggplant. The lipid tin beryllium re-used for immoderate cooking intent arsenic it is clean.
No wok but privation to fry the eggplant? Use a mean saucepan and capable with 2 cm / 0.8″ oil. Fry eggplant per recipe. Then navigator the remainder of the look successful a cookware alternatively than wok.
2. pan-steamed (less-oil method)
This is simply a method of cooking eggplant I’ve antecedently shared wherever it is pan-fried them steamed. You’ll request a ample cookware with a lid to trap the steam to usage this method. It past makes consciousness to usage the aforesaid cookware for cooking in, though you could power to a wok if you privation to.
Brown – Heat 2 tablespoons of lipid implicit precocious vigor successful a non-stick pan. Place the eggplant successful and lightly brownish the flesh-side of each portion – astir 90 seconds connected each side.
Pan-steam – Carefully determination 1/3 cupful of h2o astir the eggplant (it volition steam connected contact, truthful beryllium cautious here). Then rapidly spot the lid connected to trap the steam and navigator for 2 minutes until the h2o has evaporated and the eggplant is cooked each the mode done (check with a food knife). If needed, adhd a spot much h2o and proceed steaming.
3. cooking
As with each stir-fries, this moves quick! So marque definite you person each your ingredients retired and acceptable to flip into into the wok oregon pan.
Mix sauce – Put the cornflour/cornstarch into a jug with the airy soy condiment archetypal and premix until lump free. Then adhd the remaining condiment ingredients and premix to combine. This bid matters – cornflour mixes successful faster successful a tiny magnitude of liquid, avoiding lumps.
Cook – After cooking the eggplant and removing the excess oil, instrumentality the wok to precocious heat. Cook the pork for 1 to 2 minutes, breaking it up arsenic you go, until you nary longer spot pink. Add the ail and ginger and navigator for 30 seconds.
Add the pickled chilli and wide legume sauce, navigator for 1 minute. This volition stain the nutrient an appealing reddish colour.
Eggplant – Add the cooked eggplant into the wok.
Add condiment successful 2 batches – Add fractional the sauce. Stir mildly for astir 30 to 45 seconds until the condiment starts to thicken (like a maple syrup consistency). Then adhd the remaining condiment and navigator for different 45 seconds to 1 infinitesimal until the condiment thickens and becomes glossy.
Sauce thickness – You privation the condiment to person a thickness betwixt chromatic and maple syrup, truthful it coats the eggplant beautifully. It volition thicken a small much arsenic it cools a spot betwixt going from the wok to serving sheet to array to serving yourself.
Then you’re done – acceptable to determination into a serving bowl!
Serving
Serve this successful a shallow bowl-plate (like pictured) oregon a regular vessel – thing to clasp each the condiment successful and marque serving easier. Flat plates conscionable marque you pursuit the eggplant around!
Rice is essential. The mode it soaks up the condiment is unbeatable, particularly since the eggplant turns truthful brushed and silky it practically melts into it.
Which brings maine to the adjacent constituent – nary chopsticks. No request to beryllium a constituent present – of people I tin usage chopsticks! – this is simply a spoon dish. Scoop and shovel! – Nagi x
Watch however to marque it
Chinese eggplant and minced pork – Sichuan Fish Fragrant Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil , oregon canola, sunflower lipid (Note 1 for no-fry version)
- 1 large eggplant oregon 2 medium/small (450 to 500g), chopped into 7 x 1.5cm batons (2.7 x 0.6″), tegument connected (Note 2)
- 100g / 3.5 oz pork mince / crushed pork (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp ginger , finely minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic , finely minced
- 1 green onion , finely sliced, achromatic & airy greenish portion (for cooking) separated from the greenish portion (garnish)
- 1 tsp pickled reddish chilli , oregon immoderate pickled spicy peppers (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp broad legume sauce , we usage Pixian doubanjiang, the spicy Sichuan version(Note 5)
Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 7)
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 7)
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 1/2 tsp black vinegar (Note 8)
- 1/2 cup water
Serving:
- Steamed achromatic rice
Instructions
- ABBREVIATED – Mix sauce. Fry eggplant until soft. Keep 2T oil. Cook pork 2 min, past garlic, ginger and achromatic portion greenish bulb for 30 sec. Cook chilli + wide legume condiment 1 min. Add eggplant and condiment successful 2 batches, erstwhile thickened, serve!
FULL RECIPE:
- Sauce – Mix the cornflour and airy soy successful a jug until lump free. Add the remaining Sauce ingredients and premix to combine. Set aside.
- Fry eggplant – Heat lipid successful a wok connected precocious vigor until blistery – 180°C/350°F. Add fractional of the eggplant and fry for astir 4 minutes, stirring and turning mildly a fewer times, until brushed each the mode done and a spot browned connected the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a insubstantial towel lined tray. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
- Remove lipid – Carefully region the leftover lipid from the wok but 2 tablespoons, for cooking.
- Stir fry – Cool the wok somewhat past instrumentality to precocious heat. Add the pork and navigator for 1 – 2 minutes, breaking it up arsenic you go, until you nary longer spot pink. Add garlic, ginger, achromatic portion of the greenish onion. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add pickled reddish chilli and wide legume sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add sauce – Give the Sauce a speedy premix (to dissolve settled cornflour). Add eggplant, past adhd fractional the Sauce into the wok, flip mildly until the condiment starts thickening – astir 30 to 45 seconds. Add remaining Sauce, flip mildly for 45 seconds until it thickens (goal: betwixt maple syrup and honey).
- Serve – Turn disconnected heat. Pour into a serving bowl, sprinkle with greenish onion. Serve with rice.
Healthier pan-steamed eggplant option:
- Brown eggplant – Heat 2 tbsp lipid successful a ample non-stick cookware (with lid) implicit mean precocious heat. Pan fry eggplant for 1 1/2 minutes connected each broadside until lightly browned.
- Steam – Carefully adhd 1/3 cupful h2o astir the eggplant (it volition steam, truthful beryllium careful). Immediately screen with a lid to trap the steam. Steam for 2 minutes oregon until the h2o has evaporated and the eggplant is brushed each the mode done (if needed, adhd much h2o and support steaming).
- Proceed – Transfer eggplant to a plate. Proceed with look utilizing the ample non instrumentality cookware alternatively than wok.
Notes
Option 2: 1 tbsp chilli legume sauce*, 2 tsp chopped pickled blistery peppers * Toban Djan – Lee Kum Lee marque is sold astatine immoderate Coles and Woolworths successful Australia, positive Asian stores and online (Amazon here). 7. Soy sauces – Dark soy makes the condiment darker and adds stronger soy flavour, airy soy is much for salt. Substitutions:
- dark soy with airy soy (expect lighter condiment colour and somewhat little flavour)
- light soy with immoderate all-purpose soy
- do not sub the airy soy with acheronian soy (way excessively strong!)
Nutrition
Life of Dozer
Jeff’s meal hasn’t changed successful the 13 years I’ve been taking Dozer to the beach: cappuccino, toasted ham and food croissant and a blueberry muffin.
The full cafe unit cognize my bid disconnected by heart, and they commencement toasting the croissant arsenic soon arsenic they spot my car propulsion up, adjacent earlier I get out! 😂 (8 Knots Cafe adjacent doorway to the park)
That’s Jeff below, and his adorable companion Cubby. He looks aft Bayview parkland similar it’s his own, weeding, mowing, picking up litter. It’s pristine due to the fact that of him, and 1 of the reasons wherefore visitors question from wide and acold to bring their dogs to Bayview!
The station Chinese eggplant and minced pork – spicy Sichuan food! appeared archetypal connected RecipeTin Eats.
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