Ever wondered what those weird and wonderful things are in the Asian bain-maries at the food courts or restaurant bars?
This is my take on the silky eggplant dish with pork.
It sometimes comes with silken tofu also, so you could omit the meat if vegetarian.
Ingredients ~
1/4 cup of vegetable oil / sunflower or whichever you prefer.
(Not olive oil, as it's a little strong and not an Asian flavour.)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 large eggplant (Get most of the peel off, leaving just a few strips for colour)
Cut eggplant into batons
150g pork mince
1 small stick of celery, finely sliced
1/2 onion or some spring onions, finely sliced
Seasonings ~
1 tbsp dark sweet soy / 1 tbsp light soy
1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (Balsamic is a great alternative!)
Chilli to taste
Either use fresh chopped, or use pickled chilli or a sambal from the Asian store.
Ok. Method!
Panfry the eggplant, then add onions, celery, garlic, and ginger.
Place aside in a bowl, then add the minced pork to the pan.
You may need to add a little extra oil for this, depending on how much your eggplant has soaked up...
Once fried, add the eggplant mix back in.
Tip...
If you want to use less oil in general, cut back the oil slightly and, whilst initially cooking the eggplant, pop a lid over them and steam it.
But as in a lot of these dishes, the oil does add to the flavour and texture.
Finally, add your seasoning sauces and simmer until it all looks nice and glossy and the eggplant is tender!
Serve with vermicelli rice noodles or steamed fragrant rice :)