Mapo eggplant pairs softened Chinese eggplant with minced pork, chili bean paste and fermented black beans. It uses the mapo flavor profile without tofu. The measured version below follows The Woks of Life and keeps Sichuan pepper distinct from chili oil.
Quick Answer
Re-stir the slurry and add it to the simmering sauce. Cook until the sauce lightly thickens and clings to the eggplant. Finish with chopped scallion.
Basic Facts
| Pork marinade | 6 oz ground pork; 2 teaspoons water; 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine; 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch; 1/8 teaspoon each baking soda and white pepper. |
|---|---|
| Eggplant and oil | 1 lb Chinese eggplant; 5 tablespoons oil: 3 for the eggplant and 2 for the aromatics and pork. |
| Seasonings | 3 tablespoons each minced ginger and garlic; 1/2–2 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper; 1 1/2 tablespoons doubanjiang; 1 1/2 tablespoons rinsed, drained fermented black beans. |
| Sauce and finish | 1 1/2 cups stock; 1/4 cup chili oil; 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar; 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 scallion. Slurry: 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. |
Preparation and cooking
- Mix the ground pork with its marinade. Cut eggplant into similar, roughly 1-inch triangular pieces. Use the first 3 tablespoons oil to cook the eggplant until softened, about 7–8 minutes as a guide, then transfer it out.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Cook ginger, then garlic, before adding the ground pork. Break up the meat and cook it to 71 C (160 F). Add the ground Sichuan pepper after the pork, keeping it from scorching.
- Add doubanjiang, then fermented black beans, stock, chili oil, sugar and sesame oil. Return the eggplant and simmer covered for about 5 minutes, adjusting for actual tenderness rather than treating the timer as a guarantee.
- Re-stir the slurry and add it to the simmering sauce. Cook until the sauce lightly thickens and clings to the eggplant. Finish with chopped scallion.
Texture and seasoning
Ground Sichuan pepper supplies the numbing aroma; chili oil and doubanjiang supply different flavors. The source permits a range of pepper amounts, so choose deliberately rather than replacing pepper with more chili.
Rinse and drain the fermented black beans before measuring them. The recipe does not need potato, bell pepper or noodles, and adding tofu would make a different preparation.
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 mapo eggplant contain tofu?
Not in this selected version; eggplant is the main vegetable.
When should Sichuan pepper be added?
After the ground pork, rather than leaving it to scorch during the earlier ginger and garlic stage.
What thickens the sauce?
The measured cornstarch slurry, stirred again before it is added.