Chinese Eggplant with Yuxiang Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound eggplant
• 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 0.5 red bell pepper
• 2 stalk scallion
• 0.5 oz ginger
• 2 Thai bird's eye chili
• 3 clove garlic
• 4 oz pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cooking wine
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

Steps

1. 1

   Start by slicing off the ends of the eggplant. Peel off some of the skin, but not all. If you remove all of the skin, the eggplant will get too soft and soggy during cooking. Next, cut the eggplant into quarters. Slice down the center the long way, then halve again. You should have four slices per eggplant. Remove the core and seeds.

2. 2

   Dice half a red bell pepper. Cut the pepper in half (you can save the remaining half for other dishes!), then slice into thin strips. Rotate the strips, then cut into small squares.

3. 3

   Mince the pork. Cut the piece of meat into long pieces about a 1/4-inch thick. Rotate the strips 90 degrees and roughly chop until the meat is finely minced. You can also use ground pork.

4. 4

   In a separate bowl, mix together the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and water. Taste and adjust the sweetness and tartness levels according to your preference.

5. 5

   Remove the eggplant from the water and squeeze out any excess liquid. Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch pieces. My dad likes to slice them at an angle. Place on the plate you plan to steam them in. Set aside.

6. 6

   Set a wok over high heat. Once hot, add in the cooking oil. My dad uses vegetable oil in this recipe. Once the oil begins to smoke, add in the marinated pork and spread it out into a patty. Let it brown and fry for about 45 seconds before flipping the pork.