Crispy Eggplant with Szechuan Meat Sauce (鱼香茄子)
User Reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
25 mins
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Cook Time
25 mins
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Total Time
40 mins
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Servings
2 to 4
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Calories
324 kcal
-
Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Chinese
Crispy Eggplant with Szechuan Meat Sauce (鱼香茄子)
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A small twist on the classic Szechuan eggplant results in a plate of crispy eggplant with an appetizing and pungent sour-spicy sauce.
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Ingredients
- 2 long eggplants about 600 grams / 1.2 pounds total (*see footnote 1)
Marinade
- 200 grams (7 ounces) ground pork (or chicken)
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
Sauce
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Potato Starch
Cook
- vegetable oil for deep frying
- 1/3 cup Potato Starch (or more to coat the eggplant)
- 2 green onion , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger , grated
- 1/2 cup Jalapeño , pickled (or Sichuan pickled pepper, chopped)
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Instructions
- Cut eggplant into long strips, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick and 3 inches (8 cm) long. Line a big tray with paper towels and spread eggplant on top without overlapping. Sprinkle salt onto eggplant and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. (*footnote 2)
- Combine pork, light soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine in a small bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Combine light soy sauce, black vinegar, Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, and 1/4 cup water in a bowl (do not add potato starch). Mix well. In another small bowl, add 2 teaspoons potato starch and 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry.
- Heat enough oil for frying in a deep pan over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F (180 C).
- While heating the oil, use paper towels to pat the eggplant dry. (*footnote 3)
- Transfer the eggplant to a large bowl. Add 1/3 cup potato starch. Toss eggplant to coat evenly with potato starch.
- Place a large strainer on top of a big bowl. Line another big plate with paper towels.
- Fry eggplant in small batches without overcrowding the pan (I fried them in 5 batches by using a flat bottom wok). Keep the oil temperature at 320 degrees F (160 C) during the frying process. (* see footnote 4) Fry the eggplant until the surface turns golden brown. Flip once to get both sides fried evenly. It should take about 2 minutes to fry each batch, and the eggplant shouldn’t shrink too much after frying. If it takes much longer than 2 minutes to fry a batch, it means your oil temperature is not high enough.
- Transfer the cooked eggplant to the strainer and continue to fry the next batch. When the next batch is done, transfer the eggplant from the strainer to the plate with paper towel. Place the newly fried eggplant onto the strainer. Continue this until all the eggplant is cooked. (*see footnote 5)
- Transfer 2 tablespoons frying oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add green onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir a few times until fragrant.
- Add jalapeno. Stir and cook for a minute. Move all the ingredients to one side of the skillet.
- Add pork to the other side of the skillet. Stir and cook until the surface turns white.
- Mix the pork with the rest ingredients. Cook until the pork is almost cooked through.
- Mix the sauce again and add it into the skillet. Cook until the sauce begins to boil. Let cook for 1 minutes to thicken. Turn off heat. Stir the potato slurry again. Slowly add it to the skillet to thicken the sauce. If you don’t want the sauce to be too thick, you might not need to add all the slurry.
- Transfer eggplant to a serving plate. Right before serving, pour the meat sauce onto the eggplant.
- Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Notes
- Asian long eggplant is firmer and produces crispier results. You can use other types instead, but they might not taste as crispy as the long eggplant.
- This process will remove moisture from the eggplant, for crispier results.
- You’ll remove some salt when patting dry the eggplant, so the finished dish won’t end up very salty.
- I was using highest heat throughout the process, on my electric stove. If you’re using a more powerful gas stove, you might need to use slightly lower heat.
- After frying, the oil shouldn’t reduce too much. If it does, it means your oil temperature was not high enough.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
275g
Calories
324kcal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
29.8g
(10%)
Protein
15.4g
(31%)
Fat
16.4g
(25%)
Saturated Fat
2.4g
(12%)
Trans Fat
0.1g
Cholesterol
37mg
(12%)
Sodium
878mg
(37%)
Potassium
612mg
(17%)
Fiber
5.8g
(23%)
Sugar
12.2g
(24%)
Vitamin A
150IU
(3%)
Vitamin C
8.3mg
(9%)
Calcium
30mg
(3%)
Iron
1.4mg
(8%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 2to 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 324 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 275g | |
| Calories | 324kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 29.8g | 10% |
| Protein | 15.4g | 31% |
| Fat | 16.4g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 2.4g | 12% |
| Trans Fat | 0.1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 37mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 878mg | 37% |
| Potassium | 612mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 5.8g | 23% |
| Sugar | 12.2g | 24% |
| Vitamin A | 150IU | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 8.3mg | 9% |
| Calcium | 30mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1.4mg | 8% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
6 reviews
Excellent
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