Cook’s notes
The cooking procedure consists of three parts: seasoning and marinating the ground pork, pan-frying the eggplants and braising the meat after browning.
Marinating the pork doesn’t take long
Do it as the first step and, by the time the eggplants are cooked through, the meat should have soaked up the flavors. But although the marinating time is short, it is important to use the correct spices and seasonings. Among them are Sichuan pepper and Chinese five-spice powder.Asian eggplants, sweet with no trace of bitterness, are used here
They are split vertically into halves and each half is cut into portions before they are fried. Note that eggplants continue to cook in the residual heat after they are taken off the pan. Be careful to scoop them out of the oil before they turn mushy.Browning the ground pork well is recommended
For three reasons: better flavor, better teture and deeper color.Chinese-style eggplants with braised ground pork
Ingredients
- 250 grams ground pork (half pound)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns toasted in an oil-free pan before grinding
- ½ teaspoon five-spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated onion
- ½ teaspoon pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 3 eggplants
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup bone broth or water although the dish won’t taste as rich
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (you may need more)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame seed oil
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the ground pork, salt, ground Sichuan peppercorns, five-spice powder, grated ginger, garlic and onion, pepper flakes, oyster sauce and sugar. Set aside.
- Cut the eggplants into halves vertically, then cut each half into two to three equal portions.
- Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan.
- Fry the eggplants on both sides just until done.
- Scoop out the eggplants and lay on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Pour off the oil from the pan leaving only a tablespoonful.
- Reheat the oil and spread the ground pork mixture on the entire bottom of the pan.
- Cook the ground pork until well browned.
- Stir together the starch, broth, soy sauce and sesame seed oil.
- Pour the starch mixture into the browned pork and cook until the sauce is thick and clear.
- Taste the sauce. If too bland for you, drizzle in a tablespoon or so of soy sauce.
- Arrange eggplants on a plate and spoon the ground pork over them.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve at once.
Quick and easy miso ramen
