Eggplant with Chopped Pork (hong shao qiez) or (Szechuan Eggplant)

Well it’s time to continue out tour. This time we travel to the far off Province of Szechwan, China to sample a dish not unlike MaPo Tufo, but made with the delicately flavored Chinese eggplant. This dish has been around for hundreds of years in one form or another.
My presentation is as close to the original as possible seeing as I don’t read Chinese. The eggplants should be selected clear of blemishes and in the 14 to 16” length range and around 2” in diameter. They will be the most seedless and tender.

The practice “Mise en Place” is appropriate and necessary. You will need the ingredients prepared and in small cups ready to cook as the recipe goes along quite rapidly.

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 pound eggplants, long, thin only*
½ pound ground Pork
8 scallions
8 cloves garlic
4 slices ginger
2 Tbsp Szechwan chili sauce*
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup chicken Broth

Marinade
3 Tbsp soy sauce, double black*
1 tsp sherry
1 Tbsp sesame oil

PREPARATION:

Wash and clean the scallions removing the outer casing and any green part that is old; Chop into pieces about 1/8" across, reserving half.

Mix the ground pork, soy sauce, sherry, half the scallions and sesame oil thoroughly with your hands and set aside to marinate for 10 min.

Rinse and peel the eggplants and cut them into strips 1" x 1/2"x 3" long.
Clean the garlic and the ginger. Mince separately into tiny pieces.
Combine the sugar and salt.
Measure out the remaining ingredients.

COOKING:

Heat the wok over high heat 20 sec. and add 4 Tbsp of peanut oil. Heat until a slight bit of smoke appears from the oil. Add the ginger stir-fry 30 sec. followed by the garlic stir-fry, but do not let the garlic brown. Add the Szechwan chili sauce and stir-fry for about 30 sec. (You may gasp for air here)

Add the chopped pork mix and cook for about 2 min. breaking the bits apart with the wok chuan and stir-fry until thoroughly gray.

Add the eggplant and stir-fry for 4 min. over a high heat. Add the sugar/salt and continue to stir-fry for another 2 min. Add the 2/3 cups of broth and reserved scallions stir to mix. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for about 15 min. to allow it to absorb the flavor.

Scoop out to a serving dish and arrange neatly.
*Available at a Chinese Market

I adapted this recipe from one of the small paperbacks found in Chinatown, N.Y.C. many years ago.