Fish-Fragrant Pork and Aubergine Pot (魚香茄子煲)

There are several different ways of cooking this dish, but this one got the seal of approval, not only from my dad, but also my mum (who doesn't like spicy food) and even the toddler. The aubergines release a lot of water, so don't worry if your dish looks a little dry to start - keep stirring it occasionally, and you will see the sauce begin to appear.

There are a few ingredients which might be difficult to get outside of a Chinese supermarket, but you could try substituting the toban jiang with yellow bean sauce and chopped chillis (keep the seeds in if you want some heat), the Shaoxing rice wine with dry sherry, and the salted mackerel with a tablespoon of Thai fish sauce.

 

Ingredients

• 1 pork loin steak, minced
• 2cm cube fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 pinch ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp cornflour
• A few drops of sunflower oil
• 1 aubergine
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp spicy toban jiang (辣豆瓣醬 chilli bean sauce)
• 2 spring onions, whites and greens chopped into 5mm lengths
• 1 aubergine
• 1 small piece (2 X 3cm) salted mackerel
• 80ml water
• Sunflower oil for frying
• A few drops sesame oil

Serves 3-4

 

Instructions

• Squeeze the juice from the grated ginger over the minced pork. Add the ground white pepper, the cornflour and a few drops of sunflower oil and combine well. Cover and marinade for at least 30 minutes in the fridge
• Soak the mackerel for 10 minutes in boiling water, then peel away the skin and bones, and flake the flesh roughly
• Half-peel the aubergine lengthways, so that you get a stripy effect. Slice the aubergine lengthways, then cut the slices into matches, roughly 10-12mm sides. Cut each match in half, the size should be similar to that of chips
• Heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a hot wok, until the oil is moving. Add the spring onions and stir-fry rapidly for 10 seconds
• Add the minced pork and garlic, and stir-fry rapidly, until the pork is browned
• Add the Shaoxing rice wine, light soy sauce, sugar and toban jiang, and stir rapidly to combine. Add the aubergines and salted mackerel, and stir the mixture together to coat the aubergines
• Add 80 ml water to the wok and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat to moderate, cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the base of the wok
• When the aubergines are softened, thicken the sauce if required by adding 1/2 tsp cornflour mixed in 20ml water
• Remove from the heat and add a few drops of sesame oil. Serve immediately

Fish-Fragrant Pork and Aubergine Pot (魚香茄子煲)