This eggplant and minced pork recipe uses pantry-friendly ingredients and can be served as a side dish or entree. The minced pork is hot and spicy, with Thai chili pepper and sweet soybean paste. The basic sauce seasonings you need are light soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar.
A Spicy Take On Eggplant And Pork Recipe
In my opinion, mealtime won’t be complete without a combination of meat and vegetables. So if you are looking for a way to jazz up your minced pork, adding a nutritious eggplant is the way to go. Eggplants are high in fiber and rich in nutrients and antioxidants.
Compared to other eggplant recipes, I prefer this one because it uses less oil and doesn’t require deep-frying.
I combined the chopped eggplants with minced pork stir-fried with garlic, ginger, Thai chili pepper, and sweet soybean paste. I love spicy foods, which is why Thai chili pepper and sweet soybean paste are important. But of course, you can omit these if you only prefer the dish to be umami and non-spicy.
To season the dish, you only need a small amount of light soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. This dish is best served with plain rice to enjoy the flavors to the fullest.
If you are into vegetable dishes, you will LOVE these quick and easy recipes:
- Blanched Bok Choy With Vegetable Sauce
- Stir-Fried Yu Choy
- Sautéed Okra And Egg
- Bitter Melon Stir-Fried With Eggs
- Stir-Fried Bok Choy And Mushrooms
- Boiled Okra With Spicy Savory Sauce
Ingredient Tips And Alternatives
Whether you want it sweet, spicy, or umami, there are various ways to personalize this dish according to your liking. I also share some tips on how to make this dish completely plant-based if this is your preference. Here are some tips on how to alter the dish with the best alternatives and suggestions:
- Eggplant: I used 1 large eggplant. I like Chinese eggplant, but you can use other types available to you, such as American eggplant, Italian eggplant, or Japanese eggplant. When choosing an eggplant, make sure to pick the ones that are a bit firm and not too soft. The skin should be smooth and shiny without brown spots. I chopped the eggplant into thick strips, but you can chop it in other ways, such as slices, rounds, or cubes.
- Soaking eggplant with salt: In this recipe, I let the chopped eggplant soak in salt for about 5-10 This technique is key in lessening the bitterness of the eggplant. Moreover, it helps soften the eggplant and release its water. It reduces the spongy texture of the eggplant, giving it a creamy texture. This also prevents the eggplants from absorbing too much oil to make it crisp up rather than go soggy.
- Minced pork: I used about 1.5 cups of minced pork. If using diced or cuts of pork, blend it in a food processor to make ground pork. The minced pork is first stir-fried until lightly brown before seasoning it with garlic, ginger, Thai chili pepper, and sweet soybean paste. If you prefer other types of minced meat, you can use ground chicken, beef, or turkey. To make this an all-veggie dish, simply swap minced meat with minced soy meat or crumbled extra firm tofu. If you have extra minced meat left, use them for these recipes as well:
- Flavoring ingredients: Here’s how you can season the minced pork in the stir-frying step.
- Ginger: Without a doubt, ginger is a favorite when it comes to stir-frying ingredients. It adds a peppery, warm kick with a hint of sweetness. You can swap fresh ginger for ground ginger, using 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground ginger for every 1 tbsp of fresh ginger.
- Garlic: Minced garlic is a popular flavoring ingredient for stir-fries.It lends a nutty and pungent taste. If you don’t have garlic but want the garlicky flavors, swap 1 clove of garlic with 1/8 tsp of garlic powder or 1/4 tsp of granulated garlic. You can also use pre-cooked crispy fried garlic if you have one.
- Thai chili pepper: I always have Thai chili pepper or bird’s eye chili to make my dish hot. Green or red chili peppers work well with the recipe. You can replace whole chili peppers with crushed red pepper flakes, chili flakes, or cayenne peppers. Swap 1 whole chili pepper with about 1/4 tsp chili flakes. Add or lessen this depending on your desired level of spiciness. Simply remove this if you prefer the dish non-spicy.
- Sweet soybean paste: Sweet soybean paste, also known as broad bean paste or doubanjiang, is a common Asian ingredient loved for its sweet and spicy flavors. It is made from fermented soybeans, which is why it also lends a distinct nutty and funky taste. Although not exactly the same flavor profile, miso paste or hoisin sauce are the closest substitutes to sweet soybean paste.
- Sauce: After combining the stir-fried minced pork and chopped eggplants, I seasoned it with light soy sauce, vinegar, and a bit of sugar. Mix and give it a taste to see if you need to make adjustments.
- Light soy sauce: Light soy sauce is a go-to ingredient for saltiness and umaminess. Aside from regular soy sauce, you can use tamari, liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Vinegar: I love using Chinese black vinegar because it has a unique fruity, tangy, and slightly sweet taste. You can find Chinese black vinegar as Chinkiang vinegar or Zhenjiang vinegar. If you don’t have this, use regular white vinegar, balsamic vinegar, date vinegar, or red wine vinegar.
- Sugar: Lessen the saltiness with a bit of sugar. Adjust the amount according to your desired level of sweetness. Use white sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or coconut sugar.
- Optional: If you want to play around with the flavors, season the dish with oyster sauce for a caramel-like taste, sesame oil for nuttiness, or Shaoxing wine for brininess. You can also adjust the taste with regular salt and pepper.
- Garnish: Green onions are my go-to garnish. I love how it elevates the look of the dish with a touch of green bits. Moreover, it gives it a fresh onion taste. You can also use chopped chives as an alternative.
The Ingredients And Kitchenware You Need
The kitchenware needed is pretty basic, just your knife for chopping, mixing bowls, and a non-stick frying pan. By using a non-stick frying pan, you don’t have to worry about bits of pork sticking to it. Here are the ingredients to prepare:
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 tsp of Salt (for soaking the eggplants)
- 1 cup of minced pork
- 2 tbsp of cooking oil
- 2 tbsp of minced ginger
- 2 tbsp of minced garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped Thai chili pepper
- 1 tbsp sweet soybean paste
- 2 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp of vinegar
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- Chopped green onions (optional for garnish)
Detailed Steps To Make Spicy Eggplant And Pork
In a nutshell, you will have to soak the chopped eggplants in salt, stir-fry the minced pork with the rest of the ingredients, and season the dish according to your preferences. Follow the detailed steps below or watch my tutorial video on Instagram or TikTok for more guidance. If you have tips and suggestions, leave a comment in the comments section to share them with fellow readers.
Finished making this recipe? Don’t forget to tag me @kitchenmisadventures to share your version of this dish! I would love to see how it turned out for you and how you personalized this dish.
- Cut the eggplant into 3 pieces, then slice each piece lengthwise from the middle into halves. After that, slice each half lengthwise again into thick strips. This way, you’ll end up with three thick strips from each half. Make sure to remove the green stem.
- Chop the rest of the ingredients. Chop the garlic, ginger, and Thai chili pepper.
- Sprinkle the chopped eggplant with a dash of salt and let it sit for 5-10minutes to soften and release water.
- Rinse the chopped eggplant several times with water to remove excess salt. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside. Do not forget to rinse the salted eggplant, otherwise, it will be too salty.
- Heat oil in the pan and stir-fry the minced pork on high heat until it turns slightly brown.It is also perfectly fine to stir-fry the minced pork without oil and let the fat melt instead from the minced pork.
- Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and chopped Thai chili pepper. Stir in sweet soybean paste for extra spiciness. Mix well until evenly distributed throughout the minced pork.
- Add the chopped eggplants to the pan.
- Season with light soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Adjust to taste and continue stir-frying until cooked. Be patient as the eggplant takes time to cook, typically around 4-7 minutes. It is best to maintain high heat to let the eggplant stay crunchy and prevent it from going soggy from absorbing too much oil.
- Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy this dish with a bowl of rice and other delicious dishes, such as seaweed egg drop soup, clay pot rice, or steamed fish.
Eggplant And Minced Pork Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 tspof Salt for soaking the eggplants
- 1 cup of minced pork
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp of minced ginger
- 2 tbsp of minced garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped Thai chili pepper
- 1 tbsp sweet soybean paste
- 2 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp of vinegar
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- Chopped green onions optional for garnish
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into 3 pieces, then slice each piece lengthwise from the middle into halves. After that, slice each half lengthwise again into thick strips. This way, you'll end up with three thick strips from each half. Make sure to remove the green stem.
- Chop the rest of the ingredients. Chop the garlic, ginger, and Thai chili pepper.
- Sprinkle the chopped eggplant with a dash of salt and let it sit for 5-10minutes to soften and release water.
- Rinse the chopped eggplant several times with water to remove excess salt. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside. Do not forget to rinse the salted eggplant, otherwise, it will be too salty.
- Heat oil in the pan and stir-fry the minced pork on high heat until it turns slightly brown.It is also perfectly fine to stir-fry the minced pork without oil and let the fat melt instead from the minced pork.
- Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and chopped Thai chili pepper. Stir in sweet soybean paste for extra spiciness. Mix well until evenly distributed throughout the minced pork.
- Add the chopped eggplants to the pan.
- Season with light soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Adjust to taste and continue stir-frying until cooked. Be patient as the eggplant takes time to cook, typically around 4-7 minutes. It is best to maintain high heat to let the eggplant stay crunchy and prevent it from going soggy from absorbing too much oil.
- Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with chopped green onions.
