Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (Yu Xiang Qiezi, 鱼香茄子)

Method8 steps · about 15 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Cut the eggplant (400 g) into even batons. Bring enough water to cover them to a full boil in a pot, adding the ½ teaspoon salt. Mince the garlic and ginger and chop the scallions, keeping the white and green parts separate before heating the wok.

   Uses 400 g eggplant, cut into batons · ½ tsp salt for the boiling water · Water, enough to boil the eggplant

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Put the cut eggplant into the boiling salted water from step 1 and cover. Boil for 3–4 minutes, checking from 3 minutes, until soft but not mushy.

   Check boiled eggplant · 3 minUses eggplant and boiling salted water

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Drain the eggplant from step 2 in a colander, discarding the boiling water. Gently press to remove excess water without crushing the batons.

   Uses boiled eggplant in its cooking water

   
4. 4

   Step 4: Mix the black rice vinegar (1½ tbsp), Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce (½ tbsp), sugar (1 tbsp), cornstarch (1½ tbsp), 4 tablespoons sauce water and sesame oil (1 tsp) in a bowl until the starch is dispersed.

   Uses 1½ tbsp black rice vinegar · 1½ tbsp Shaoxing rice wine · ½ tbsp dark soy sauce · 1 tbsp sugar · 1½ tbsp cornstarch · 4 tbsp water for the sauce · 1 tsp sesame oil

5. 5

   Step 5: Heat the 1½ tablespoons cooking oil in a wok over high heat. Fry the 50 g ground pork until pale and crumbly, continuing until fully cooked and its center reaches 71°C (160°F).

   Uses 1½ tbsp cooking oil · 50 g ground pork

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the ready pickled chili garlic sauce (2 tbsp), minced garlic (4 cloves), ginger (2 tsp) and chopped scallion whites to the cooked pork in the wok from step 5. Stir-fry until fragrant.

   Uses cooked ground pork in frying oil · 2 tbsp ready pickled chili garlic sauce (Duo Jiao) · 4 cloves garlic, minced · 2 tsp minced ginger · Chopped white parts of the two scallion stalks

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Add the drained eggplant from step 3 to the pork and aromatics from step 6. Stir-fry until piping hot. Stir the sauce bowl from step 4 again to disperse settled starch, then pour in all of it.

   Uses Drained eggplant lifted from the cooking-water output · pork with pickled chili and aromatics · mixed garlic sauce

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Stir the eggplant and sauce from step 7 until the sauce thickens and coats the batons. Turn off the heat, scatter over the chopped scallion greens and serve immediately in two portions, with separately prepared rice if desired.

   Uses hot eggplant and pork in garlic sauce · Chopped green parts of the two scallion stalks