◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 5

My boyfriend and I like eggplant, especially this Chinese recipe, Szechuan style Spicy Eggplant with Minced Pork (四川魚香茄子). If you know Szechuan, you will definitely know the place is very famous for hot and spicy food such as Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐), Spicy Pork Strip (魚香肉絲), and etc. Previously I was always wondering why the dish is called Yu Xiang Qie Zi (魚香茄子) in Chinese, literally means “fish-fragrant” eggplant. After getting to know more about Szechuan cuisine, Yu Xiang (魚香) is actually a Szechuan style of culinary tradition. It’s named so because the preparation of the sauce resembles the taste and flavor of the fresh fish, but it doesn’t use real fish in cooking.

The main ingredients for the Szechuan Yu Xiang (魚香) dishes are basically standard; dried red chillies, scallions, ginger, and garlic; not forgetting sugar, salt, hot bean sauce and soy sauce. The ingredients are well incorporated to bring out the essential flavor and tastiness of salty, sour, sweet, spicy, aroma, and freshness, that make it another mouthwatering dish to be served perfectly with steamed rice.

This dish can be easily found in most Chinese restaurants and indeed it is deliciously prepared I often cannot resist.  However the restaurants deep fry the eggplants and end up the dish comes out too oily which I don’t really like. Therefore preparing the eggplants at home takes a bit of challenge and work. I have modified the original recipe by blanching the eggplants, it has lost some of its purple color but the dish came out not oily and yet another healthy dish to share.

Ingredients:
2 Chinese eggplant (cut into 2″ strips)
2 tbsp sesame oil or cooking oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
4-5 dried red chilli (break into half, seeded)
1/2 green bell pepper (cut into strips)
1/2 red bell pepper (cut into strips)
1 stalk scallion (chopped; for garnish)
1/2 lb minced pork (marinate with 1 tbsp rice wine, soy sauce and 1 tsp cornstarch)

For the sauce:
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp Hot Bean Sauce (辣豆瓣醬)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tsp cornstarch (dissolve with water)
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Cooking Method:

1. Marinate the ground pork with rice wine, soy sauce, cornstarch for 30 minutes.
2. Cut the eggplant into 2″ strips, soak in salt water to prevent turning brown color and to reduce absorbing oil.
3. Brings a pot of water to boil, dash some salt and drizzle sesame oil into the water. Blanch the eggplant until slightly tender about 2 minutes. Remove and drain.
4. Heat up a pan with 2 tbsp cooking oil over medium, add in ginger, garlic and dried red chillies, stir fry till golden brown with spicy fragrant.
5. Add in marinated minced pork, stir fry till half cook.
6. Add in all seasoning, brings to boil until sauce thickens.
7. Add in green and red bell pepper, quickly stir fry. Then add in eggplants and quickly toss and coat with sauce.
8. Dish up, garnish with chopped scallions.