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Crispy Eggplant with Szechuan Meat Sauce (鱼香茄子)

A small twist on the classic Szechuan eggplant results in a plate of crispy eggplant with an appetizing and pungent sour-spicy sauce.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 2 to 4
Calories: 324 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

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)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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)
  2. Combine pork, light soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine in a small bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 15 minutes.
  3. 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.
  4. Heat enough oil for frying in a deep pan over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F (180 C).
  5. While heating the oil, use paper towels to pat the eggplant dry. (*footnote 3)
  6. Transfer the eggplant to a large bowl. Add 1/3 cup potato starch. Toss eggplant to coat evenly with potato starch.
  7. Place a large strainer on top of a big bowl. Line another big plate with paper towels.
  8. 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.
  9. 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)
  10. 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.
  11. Add jalapeno. Stir and cook for a minute. Move all the ingredients to one side of the skillet.
  12. Add pork to the other side of the skillet. Stir and cook until the surface turns white.
  13. Mix the pork with the rest ingredients. Cook until the pork is almost cooked through.
  14. 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.
  15. Transfer eggplant to a serving plate. Right before serving, pour the meat sauce onto the eggplant.
  16. 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

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

% 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.