Braised Eggplant, Pork and Mushrooms
Updated March 28, 2018
Michael Kraus for The New York Times
- Total Time
- About 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
12 ounces Asian eggplant or globe eggplant
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (Shaoxing) or dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon black vinegar orbalsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 to 8 ounces ground pork
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 dried small hot red chilies, sliced
3 ounces enoki mushrooms, trimmedof ends, rinsed and separated
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
Nutritional analysis per serving
18 grams carbs; 48 milligrams cholesterol; 356 calories; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 24 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 630 milligrams sodium; 15 grams protein; 10 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Trim off the stem ends from the eggplant. If using Asian eggplant, slice into 2-inch lengths, and then cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick wedges. If using globe eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes. In a small bowl, mix the wine, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, pepper and ⅔ cup of water.
- Step 2
Place a wok or a large frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, after about 1 minute, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and rotate the pan to spread. Add the pork, and stir-fry until it has broken into small chunks and is lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, garlic, chilies and eggplant; stir-fry until the eggplant begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. 3. Add the water mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is soft when pressed, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and remove from the heat. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with cilantro. Note: Slender Chinese or Japanese eggplants hold their shape better and are less seedy than larger, more common globe eggplants.
Private Notes
Comments
As other notes indicate, there is plenty of room for substitution and experimentation. I used shiitake mushrooms and added them soon after the eggplant. A teaspoon of chili sauce worked well in the place of the red chiles. Serving it over wide rice noodles put this dish into the comfort zone.
We liked this a lot but the sauce needed more intensity, at least for our taste. I ended up doubling the soy and rice wine plus added a splash more balsamic and a decent amount of chile paste. We didn't have cilantro so I added Thai basil at the end which was also delicious.
This is an excellent dish. I followed the advice of fellow commentators and doubled the liquid portion of the recipe. Added ginger and green onions as well as a shallot, and used tofu instead of pork (pan fried ahead of Step 2 and added back when the sauce is put into the pan. It was amazingly good.
Added a heap of minced ginger, pinch of salt and cornflour slurry - turned out perfect, like an eggplant version of mapo tofu.
Delicious eggplant recipe coming from an eggplant fanboy. The asian eggplants at my farmers market are rather girthy, so I would recommend quartering them lengthwise so they cook through, especially along the bulge. Yum!
Excellent. Like others, I made many many changes to adapt to what I had on hand: I doubled the pork and eggplant (mix of small fairy eggplants and globe) and tripled the sauce. Added red pepper flakes to the sauce and chili crisp near the end. Used a dry white wine as the liquid, and diced summer squash instead of mushrooms because that’s what I had. Then threw in a block of silken tofu near the end and spooned the sauce over it, to make a kind of mapo tofu. With all these changes it was still amazing and I look forward to trying it as written one day soon.