Literally translated as “fish fragrant eggplant,” this stir-fried eggplant and ground pork dish is one of my favorites (and does NOT contain fish like the name suggests)
There is a Chinese restaurant near my dad’s house in Delaware that we used to frequent. One of the dishes I really enjoyed there was the Chinese stir fried eggplant and pork (魚香茄子). The literal translation of the dish is “fish fragrant eggplant,” even though there’s no fish in the dish. I loved this dish so much that I always ordered it every time we went there.
This is one of my comfort dishes, even though we didn’t eat it growing up. I had a weird aversion to eggplants – likely because of the texture. However, as an adult, I’ve come to enjoy eggplant. I asked my parents if they could help me find a recipe for the eggplant dish so that I could make it at home.
Before my mom passed away, she and my dad found this recipe for me. I’ve made it countless times since, and it’s something that my family will eat also. If you don’t want to use pork, you can try using other ground meats (although ground chicken or ground turkey might turn out a lot drier). You could potentially use plant-based “meat” as well if you want to keep this vegetarian.
Serve this dish over a bed of rice and make sure to sprinkle some chopped scallions on top. It will give the dish a pop of color because the sauce will make this look rather brown and drab.
If you’re a fan of spicy food, you can increase the amount of spice in here. If you don’t like spicy foods, you can leave it out.
Enjoy!
Husband’s rating: 4 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Chinese stir fried eggplant with ground pork(魚香茄子)
Ingredients
- 4 Chinese eggplants diced (note that you should avoid regular sized eggplants, as they are too big for this recipe - you can find the skinny Chinese eggplants at most Asian grocery stores)
- 1 pound ground pork can substitute with ground meatloaf mix and potentially ground chicken, turkey, or plant-based "meat"
- 2 scallions diced
Sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons Guilin spicy chili paste can substitute with 2 Tablespoons of spicy bean sauce/doubanjian. If you don't like spicy foods, you can omit this and use black bean garlic sauce instead. See links below if you need brand recommendations.
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce I use light (less sodium) soy sauce
- 1 and ½ Tablespoons black vinegar found at Asian grocery stores
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons corn starch mixed with 2 Tablespoons water
Instructions
Make the sauce (this can be made several hours ahead of time)
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the water, spicy chili paste, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Set aside.
Stir fry the eggplant
- In a wok (or large nonstick pan) set over medium high heat, heat 2-3 Tablespoons of unflavored oil until hot. Add the diced eggplant and stir until all the oil is fully absorbed, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the eggplant from the wok and set aside.
- Heat another 2 Tablespoons of oil. Add the ground pork and constantly stir until it is no longer pink.
- Mix the sauce in the measuring cup again and pour it over the eggplant and cooked ground pork. Keep stirring until the eggplant starts to soften, about 10-15 minutes.
- Once the eggplant is soft, add the corn starch slurry (you may need to re-mix the corn starch and water again so it's uniform). Mix this into your pan. Then add the scallions and stir. Save a few scallions to garnish the top.
- Serve with white rice.