Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find Japanese eggplants in the supermarkets nearby, although we found the Japanese eggplants in the garden centre and grew them once. However, it is easy to buy Chinese eggplants in Asian supermarkets.
Today, I would like to share the recipe for stir-fried Chinese eggplants and pork with ginger. I removed some parts of the eggplants’ skin in order for them to them have a smooth texture.
Ingredients of Stir-fried Chinese Eggplant and Pork with Ginger:
- Chinese Eggplants: 3 pieces
- Pork: 200 g
- Ginger: 1 piece
- Garlic: 2 cloves
- Hoisin Sauce (or Oyster Sauce + Soy Sauce): 2 tablespoons
- Sambal: 1 tablespoon
- Oil
- Hot Chili Pepper: 1 piece (Optional)
The best pork for stir-frying is the one which has layers of fat and red meat. If you only have red meat and not enough fat, you can add extra lard if it is available. You can use minced pork instead of cut pork as well.
How to Make Stir-fried Chinese Eggplant and Pork with Ginger:
1. Roughly peel the skin of Chinese eggplants, cut into finger size and throw them in the water (in order not to let them turn brown)
2. Drain the eggplants before you cook them
3. Cut the pork into thin rectangles
4. Chop up the ginger and garlic (and hot chilli pepper)
5. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a wok and add drained eggplants, cook them for a few minutes until they get a little brown on the edges, and take them out of the wok
6. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok again, add garlic, ginger and pork, stirring occasionally, cook the pork
7. After the pork gets a bit crispy, put the eggplants back into the wok, stir together
8. Season with Hoisin sauce, Sambal and hot chilli pepper if you like spicy food.
Eggplants like oil, and it takes a while to cook properly. That’s why it is better to cook separately from the pork and put them together afterwards.
