Lately, we’ve turned to posting quite a few “home-style” dishes. Braised Eggplant with Minced Pork (肉沫茄子) is another one of those easy dishes that you might see on the table at your parents’ or grandparents’ house!
A Tasty, Simple Dish
Though, as I typed out the Chinese characters for this dish, I was surprised to see that 肉沫茄子 (rou mo qie zi) auto-populated as one of the top options! I’m surprised that this Braised Eggplant with Minced Pork is that popular, but it’s no wonder, as it’s a tasty, simple dish.
A big reason why this dish is so simple is the use of ground meat. No slicing and dicing, and no messy cutting board or knife to wash! Everyone could always do with a little more spare time, so I also modified this classic recipe by adding cooked spaghetti to make it a delicious one-pot meal.
As for the eggplant, we used the large dark purple (black) eggplants you always see at the supermarket but you can used just about any eggplant for this braised eggplant dish, including the longer and light purple Chinese or Japanese eggplant varieties.
What to Do if You Don’t Have Asian Noodles
And yes, you heard right. We’re using spaghetti! If you don’t live near an Asian supermarket, this is a perfectly fine substitution for Asian wheat noodles (though, if you do, traditional Chinese noodles will always be my preference!). You shouldn’t let a lack of Asian noodles hold you back from enjoying a traditional-tasting noodle dish!
Spaghetti is actually a perfect substitute for dishes like lo mein, stir-fried noodles, and even noodle soups. Not to mention, spaghetti reheats better than noodles––we all know that overnight noodles can be rather unpleasant. All in all, I’m a big fan of working with what you have!
After all that noodle talk, I should probably say that Braised Eggplant with Minced Pork 肉沫茄子 is usually served over rice! If you’d rather take this route, just remember to thicken the sauce with a small amount of cornstarch slurry (cornstarch + water).
Whether you serve this braised eggplant with noodles, pasta, rice, or just by itself, it’s sure to please everyone at the dinner table. Here’s how to make it.
Braised Eggplant with Minced Pork: Recipe Instructions
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt into 8 cups of water in a large bowl. Soak the cubed eggplant in the salt water for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, drain the eggplant, and use your hands or a clean dish towel to squeeze the water out of it. Set aside. This step helps the eggplant cook faster and absorb less oil later on. Win, win!
In a separate bowl, mix the ground pork with 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, 2 teaspoons light soy sauce, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, and 2 teaspoons water. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Next, cook the spaghetti (or noodles) according to the package instructions. Drain, and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a clean wok over medium heat, and cook the bell pepper for about a minute. Transfer the peppers to a dish, and set aside.
Next, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the wok over low heat. Cook the ginger and garlic for about a minute.
Add the red chili, and cook for another minute.
Add the ground bean sauce, and cook for another minute. Then add the pork, and turn up the heat.
When the pork is browned, add the eggplant, and stir-fry everything together thoroughly.
Cook for a couple of minutes before adding 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, and 2 cups chicken stock (or water).
Mix everything together well, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat, or until the eggplant is tender. At this point in the cooking process, there should be plenty of sauce in the wok. The starch from the spaghetti or noodles will help thicken it.
Lastly, add the bell pepper, cooked noodles, and chopped cilantro to the wok (if using).
Mix everything well, add salt to taste, and serve immediately!
Remember that if you want to serve this braised eggplant dish with rice, you will have to dissolve about a tablespoon of cornstarch in 2-3 tablespoons of water, and then simmer this mixture in the sauce to thicken it!
Braised Eggplant with Minced Pork - 肉沫茄子
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- 2 pounds eggplant (cubed)
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce (plus 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, divided)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 10 ounces dried spaghetti or noodles
- 4 tablespoons oil (divided)
- ½ bell pepper (diced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 1 red chili (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons ground bean sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 cups chicken stock (or water)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt into 8 cups of water in a large bowl. Soak the cubed eggplant in the salt water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain the eggplant, and use your hands or a clean dish towel to squeeze the water out of it. Set aside. This step helps the eggplant cook faster and absorb less oil later on. Win, win!
- In a separate bowl, mix the ground pork with 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, 2 teaspoons light soy sauce, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, and 2 teaspoons water. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
- Next, cook the spaghetti (or noodles) according to the package instructions. Drain, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a clean wok over medium heat, and cook the bell pepper for about a minute. Transfer the peppers to a dish, and set aside.
- Next, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the wok over low heat. Cook the ginger and garlic for about a minute. Add the chili, and cook for another minute. Add the ground bean sauce, and cook for another minute. Then add the pork, and turn up the heat. When the pork is browned, add the eggplant, and stir-fry everything together thoroughly.
- Cook for a couple of minutes before adding 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoon oyster sauce, and 2 cups chicken stock (or water). Mix everything together well, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat, or until the eggplant is tender. At this point in the cooking process, there should be plenty of sauce in the wok. The starch from the spaghetti or noodles will help thicken it.
- Lastly, add the bell pepper, cooked noodles, and chopped cilantro to the wok (if using). Mix everything well, add salt to taste, and serve immediately!
nutrition facts
This dish is amazing! You guys have changed my life, I can’t overstate how great your blog is. I’ve made various dishes from here ( this one, the char siu, others) and it’s elevated my cooking to the next level. Thank you so much!
You are very welcome, Sam, happy eating :-)
Another fantastic recipe! I was close enough to having all of the ingredients that I thought I’d give it a try. Used rotini for my pasta and, having no ground bean sauce, decided to use white miso and… it worked. Once again, I can only imagine that, had I had all of the actual ingredients, I would have required yet another star for my rating. Also, for the red chili, I pulled one out of my freezer which I’ve been doing since I’d read that tip, well, here at The Woks of Life. Thank you again for all that you do! :)
You are very welcome, Mike, and thank you for your kind words.