Cut the eggplant into long strips or wedges. Sprinkle salt over the eggplant and let it sit for 15-20 minutes to remove excess moisture. Rinse under water and lightly squeeze out excess water. Lightly coat the eggplant with corn starch to help with crispiness during frying.
500 g Chinese eggplant, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp corn starch
Chop and mince all the aromatics. In a small bowl, mix all sauce ingredients.
3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp ginger, 2 fresh chilli, scallions, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp corn starch
Heat vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant strips when oil is heated but not smoking yet and stir-fry until golden brown and softened (3-4 minutes). Remove and set aside and leave some oil in the wok.
3 tbsp vegetable oil, 500 g Chinese eggplant
In the same wok, add minced pork and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, breaking it apart until no longer pink. Remove and set aside.
100 g minced pork
With the remaining oil, add garlic, ginger, white part of scallions, and fresh chilli, and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Immediately add 1.5 tbsp Sichuan aged vinegar at this stage, stirring quickly to let it coat the aromatics. Add Doubanjiang (郫县豆瓣酱) . Stir-fry for 1 minute to release the deep umami flavours.
3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp ginger, 2 fresh chilli, scallions, 1.5 tbsp aged vinegar, 1 tbsp Sichuan Pixian Doubanjiang
Add back the fried eggplant and cooked minced pork. Mix well. Pour in the prepared sauce and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the eggplant evenly. Toss in the green parts of the scallions, mix well, then turn off the heat.
500 g Chinese eggplant, 100 g minced pork, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp corn starch, scallions
Plate the stir-fry hot and serve immediately with steamed rice. Optionally, garnish with extra scallions.
scallions
