This eggplant with garlic sauce uses batons of Chinese eggplant, a small amount of minced pork and pickled chili-garlic sauce. It follows Red House Spice’s measured version; this selected sauce does not also add doubanjiang.
Quick Answer
Return the drained eggplant, add the re-stirred sauce and cook until thickened and evenly coating the batons. Finish with scallion greens.
Basic Facts
| Eggplant | 400 g Chinese eggplant, cut into batons; 1/2 teaspoon salt for blanching water, which is discarded. |
|---|---|
| Stir-fry | 1 1/2 tablespoons oil; 50 g minced pork; 2 tablespoons pickled chili-garlic sauce; 4 garlic cloves; 2 teaspoons ginger; 2 scallions, whites and greens separated. |
| Premixed sauce | 1 1/2 tablespoons each black rice vinegar and Shaoxing wine; 1/2 tablespoon dark soy; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch; 4 tablespoons water; 1 teaspoon sesame oil. |
Preparation and cooking
- Cut eggplant into similarly sized batons. Blanch in lightly salted boiling water until soft, about 3–4 minutes as a guide; drain and gently press out excess water. The blanching salt is not a second final seasoning dose.
- Mix the vinegar, wine, dark soy, sugar, starch, water and sesame oil. Keep the sauce ready and stir it again just before pouring, because starch settles.
- Cook minced pork in the measured oil, breaking it apart and verifying 71 C (160 F). Add pickled chili-garlic sauce, garlic, ginger and scallion whites; cook briefly without scorching.
- Return the drained eggplant, add the re-stirred sauce and cook until thickened and evenly coating the batons. Finish with scallion greens.
Texture and seasoning
Pickled chili sauce is the chosen base. The source offers a doubanjiang alternative that omits dark soy, but combining both variants would change the selected salt balance.
Blanching softens the eggplant before the short sauce stage. Excess draining water dilutes the sauce, while pressing so aggressively that the batons collapse damages their texture.
Quick reference
Use the measured ingredient list and the cooking order above. Images illustrate ingredients and appearance; they do not document this site’s own kitchen test or prove exact quantities.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this version add doubanjiang?
No. It selects the pickled chili-garlic sauce version.
Is the blanching salt added to the final sauce?
No. The blanching water is discarded.
Is the dish vegetarian?
Not this selected version; it contains 50 g minced pork.