Today’s recipe is a cult classic I’ve chased for years. The un-inspiring name Chinese Eggplant and Minced Pork, often used on menus, does it no justice! It’s a flavour explosion, the saucy version of Sichuan Fish Fragrant Eggplant – sweet, savoury, tangy, and a little bit spicy. This one is a personal favourite!
Spicy Sichuan Chinese eggplant with minced pork
Lovers of Sichuan food – rejoice! Remember Chef Hannah, our Chinese chef at RTM who cracked the Beef in Black Bean Sauce recipe? She’s back, with another copycat I begged her to master – Chinese eggplant with minced pork!
You know the dish I mean – the one with those slippery soft eggplant batons with a little bit of pork mince, smothered in a fierce looking (though surprisingly mild) glossy sauce packed with in-your-face savoury flavours and little bits of chilli.
It’s a Sichuan classic I’ve been on a mission to recreate for years, but just couldn’t get the flavour quite right. I finally caved and asked Hannah to copy a restaurant version – and boom! She made 6 versions in one evening, one after the other, and cracked the code!
Bonus: This recipe calls for a trip to the Asian store but that said, our supermarket-sub version is so good, we’d have happily shared it – if we hadn’t already tasted the OG!.
A bit about today’s recipe
Today’s dish is Sichuan Fish Fragrant Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qie Zi), a popular eggplant stir fry in China made with a little bit of pork mince, semi-braised and stir fried in a sauce that’s savoury, sweet, a bit tangy and a bit spicy. Sometimes it’s saucy, other times it’s not.
Here in Australia, the version of this dish that’s popular is saucy, and is typically listed on menus with the thoroughly un-imaginative name “Eggplant with pork mince”, though sometimes restaurants will go rogue and add something to the name like “braised with chilli and vinegar” (wild, I know!).
Our recipe is specifically based on the one served at Taste of Shanghai, a well known Chinese restaurant chain here in Sydney I’ve been frequenting for decades. Better known for their dumplings but they have other standout offerings including this eggplant and pork dish.
The greatest compliment of all
Hannah, in case you don’t know, is a chef on my food bank team and comes from a long line of chefs from China’s Szechuan province. She even sent this recipe to her father (a brilliant chef himself), and his only feedback was, “needs more oil.”
If you know Asian foodie families, that’s high praise – basically code for, “perfect, you nailed it, it’s amazing, 12 out of 10!” Because no one’s a tougher critic than family!
And that is how you know this recipe is dead-set legit. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Thank you Chef Hannah. I have such admiration for your cooking skills and hope to bring many more to our readers in the years to come!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need. Don’t be put off by unfamiliar ingredients—we tested this with regular grocery store substitutes and were blown away. Honestly, if Chef Hannah hadn’t already cracked the Rolls Royce version, I’d have stuck to the alternative version for myself (though I probably wouldn’t have dared publish it – you’ll see why!)
1. STIR FRY sauce
There’s quite a generous amount of sauce in this dish which is glossy and thickened so it coats the eggplant beautifully. Here’s what goes in it:
Soy sauces – Dark soy makes the sauce darker and adds stronger soy flavour while light soy is more for salt. Substitutions:
dark soy with light soy (expect a lighter sauce colour and slightly less flavour)
light soy with any all-purpose soy sauce.
do not sub the light soy with dark soy (way too strong!)
Chinese black vinegar – Looks like balsamic vinegar and tastes a bit like it too but with a slight savoury edge. Available at Asian stores and some large supermarkets, though honestly I wouldn’t get it just for the small amount required in this recipe. Substitute with half balsamic vinegar and half rice vinegar instead (it’s pretty close).
Honey and sugar – To balance the tang and savoury in the sauce. Sugar just adds sweetness whereas just 1 teaspoon of honey, while also adding sweetness, makes the sauce clear and really glossy rather than cloudy. Awesome cooking tip from Hannah!
Cornflour / cornstarch – Thickens the sauce and makes it beautifully shiny.
2. Speciality add-ins
These two ingredients are essential for an authentic version of this dish – the pickled red chilli was actually the final piece of the puzzle that Chef Hannah figured out to crack the recipe!
But don’t be daunted if they sound unfamiliar or you don’t live near an Asian grocery store. Read on for substitutions.
Chinese broad bean sauce (doubanjiang) – A fermented paste made from broad beans, soybeans, salt, and often chilli. Savoury, salty, and packed with umami. We use the spicy Sichuan version (Pixian doubanjiang), famous for dishes like Mapo Tofu. Find it at Asian grocers.
Pickled red chilli (salted chillies) – Chopped, salted Chinese red chillies, used in the original Taste of Shanghai dish. You’ll see flecks in the final dish! It adds a mild spicy tang because we only use 1 teaspoon.
We use Tan Tan Xiang brand, but you can substitute with finely chopped pickled hot peppers (like Hoyts brand), or even jalapeños (yes, really!). Skip if you really fear spice, but you’ll lose a layer of flavour (because it adds salt and tang too).
Substitutions
No Asian grocer nearby? Try one of these combinations using supermarket ingredients. It’s 92% as good – our whole team was impressed!
Option 1: 2 tsp miso paste + 3 tsp sambal oelek + 1 tsp chopped pickled hot peppers (like Hoyts)
Option 2: 1 tbsp chilli bean sauce* + 2 tsp chopped pickled hot peppers
*Chilli bean sauce (Toban Djan) is different from doubanjiang but still works well here. Lee Kum Lee brand is sold at some Coles and Woolworths in Australia, plus Asian stores and online (Amazon here).
3. STIR FRY ADD-INS
And here are the things that go in the stir fry. There’s only a small amount of pork – just 100g/3.5oz – compared to the amount of eggplant which is how it’s supposed to be.
Pork – This is the traditional meat though if you can’t consume it, it will work with chicken or turkey too, though these meats are leaner.
Eggplant (aubergine in the UK) – You’ll need one large or two medium eggplants. No need to peel the skin – the bitterness is mostly bred out these days. But if you prefer, go ahead and peel using a potato peeler.
Oil – For cooking the eggplant and stir fry. Traditionally, the eggplant is deep-fried for that soft, silky texture only oil can give. But we also tested it with my favourite pan-steamed method using just 2 tablespoons of oil – and it was still fantastic! The bold sauce makes up for it, and I’ve happily made the lighter version on Tuesday nights.
Garlic and ginger – A good amount is essential aromatic flavour base for this recipe!
Green onion – Use the white part for cooking, and the dark green part for garnish.
How to cook Chinese eggplant with minced pork
Firstly, choose a method to cook the eggplant. Fried in about 1 cup of oil for the authentic method which will make the eggplant beautifully silky. Or, pan steamed for a healthier version.
1. Fry eggplant (authentic method)
A wok is best as the curved shape of the wok means you get more frying surface area using less oil, then you can use the wok for cooking.
Fry – Heat the oil on high heat until it is 180°C/350°F. Fry the eggplant in two batches for around 4 minutes each until lightly browned.
Remove the eggplant from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the oil in the wok which we will use to cook the eggplant. The oil can be re-used for any cooking purpose as it is clean.
No wok but want to fry the eggplant? Use a medium saucepan and fill with 2 cm / 0.8″ oil. Fry eggplant per recipe. Then cook the remainder of the recipe in a pan rather than wok.
2. pan-steamed (less-oil method)
This is a method of cooking eggplant I’ve previously shared where it is pan-fried them steamed. You’ll need a large pan with a lid to trap the steam to use this method. It then makes sense to use the same pan for cooking in, though you could switch to a wok if you want to.
Brown – Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat in a non-stick pan. Place the eggplant in and lightly brown the flesh-side of each piece – around 90 seconds on each side.
Pan-steam – Carefully pour 1/3 cup of water around the eggplant (it will steam on contact, so be careful here). Then quickly place the lid on to trap the steam and cook for 2 minutes until the water has evaporated and the eggplant is cooked all the way through (check with a butter knife). If needed, add a bit more water and continue steaming.
3. cooking
As with all stir-fries, this moves quick! So make sure you have all your ingredients out and ready to toss into into the wok or pan.
Mix sauce – Put the cornflour/cornstarch into a jug with the light soy sauce first and mix until lump free. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients and mix to combine. This order matters – cornflour mixes in faster in a small amount of liquid, avoiding lumps.
Cook – After cooking the eggplant and removing the excess oil, return the wok to high heat. Cook the pork for 1 to 2 minutes, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see pink. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the pickled chilli and broad bean sauce, cook for 1 minute. This will stain the meat an appealing reddish colour.
Eggplant – Add the cooked eggplant into the wok.
Add sauce in 2 batches – Add half the sauce. Stir gently for about 30 to 45 seconds until the sauce starts to thicken (like a maple syrup consistency). Then add the remaining sauce and cook for another 45 seconds to 1 minute until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
Sauce thickness – You want the sauce to have a thickness between honey and maple syrup, so it coats the eggplant beautifully. It will thicken a little more as it cools a bit between going from the wok to serving plate to table to serving yourself.
Then you’re done – ready to pour into a serving bowl!
Serving
Serve this in a shallow bowl-plate (like pictured) or a regular bowl – something to hold all the sauce in and make serving easier. Flat plates just make you chase the eggplant around!
Rice is essential. The way it soaks up the sauce is unbeatable, especially since the eggplant turns so soft and silky it practically melts into it.
Which brings me to the next point – no chopsticks. No need to prove a point here – of course I can use chopsticks! – this is a spoon dish. Scoop and shovel! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chinese eggplant and minced pork – Sichuan Fish Fragrant Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil , or canola, sunflower oil (Note 1 for no-fry version)
- 1 large eggplant or 2 medium/small (450 to 500g), cut into 7 x 1.5cm batons (2.7 x 0.6″), skin on (Note 2)
- 100g / 3.5 oz pork mince / ground pork (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp ginger , finely minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic , finely minced
- 1 green onion , finely sliced, white & pale green part (for cooking) separated from the green part (garnish)
- 1 tsp pickled red chilli , or any pickled spicy peppers (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp broad bean sauce , we use Pixian doubanjiang, the spicy Sichuan version(Note 5)
Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 7)
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 7)
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 1/2 tsp black vinegar (Note 8)
- 1/2 cup water
Serving:
- Steamed white rice
Instructions
- ABBREVIATED – Mix sauce. Fry eggplant until soft. Keep 2T oil. Cook pork 2 min, then garlic, ginger and white part green onion for 30 sec. Cook chilli + broad bean sauce 1 min. Add eggplant and sauce in 2 batches, once thickened, serve!
FULL RECIPE:
- Sauce – Mix the cornflour and light soy in a jug until lump free. Add the remaining Sauce ingredients and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Fry eggplant – Heat oil in a wok on high heat until hot – 180°C/350°F. Add half of the eggplant and fry for around 4 minutes, stirring and turning gently a few times, until soft all the way through and a bit browned on the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined tray. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
- Remove oil – Carefully remove the leftover oil from the wok except 2 tablespoons, for cooking.
- Stir fry – Cool the wok slightly then return to high heat. Add the pork and cook for 1 – 2 minutes, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see pink. Add garlic, ginger, white part of the green onion. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add pickled red chilli and broad bean sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add sauce – Give the Sauce a quick mix (to dissolve settled cornflour). Add eggplant, then add half the Sauce into the wok, toss gently until the sauce starts thickening – about 30 to 45 seconds. Add remaining Sauce, toss gently for 45 seconds until it thickens (goal: between maple syrup and honey).
- Serve – Turn off heat. Pour into a serving bowl, sprinkle with green onion. Serve with rice.
Healthier pan-steamed eggplant option:
- Brown eggplant – Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large non-stick pan (with lid) over medium high heat. Pan fry eggplant for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
- Steam – Carefully add 1/3 cup water around the eggplant (it will steam, so be careful). Immediately cover with a lid to trap the steam. Steam for 2 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the eggplant is soft all the way through (if needed, add more water and keep steaming).
- Proceed – Transfer eggplant to a plate. Proceed with recipe using the large non stick pan rather than wok.
Recipe Notes:
Option 2: 1 tbsp chilli bean sauce*, 2 tsp chopped pickled hot peppers * Toban Djan – Lee Kum Lee brand is sold at some Coles and Woolworths in Australia, plus Asian stores and online (Amazon here). 7. Soy sauces – Dark soy makes the sauce darker and adds stronger soy flavour, light soy is more for salt. Substitutions:
- dark soy with light soy (expect lighter sauce colour and slightly less flavour)
- light soy with any all-purpose soy
- do not sub the light soy with dark soy (way too strong!)
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Jeff’s breakfast hasn’t changed in the 13 years I’ve been taking Dozer to the beach: cappuccino, toasted ham and cheese croissant and a blueberry muffin.
The entire cafe staff know my order off by heart, and they start toasting the croissant as soon as they see my car pull up, even before I get out! 😂 (8 Knots Cafe next door to the park)
That’s Jeff below, and his adorable companion Cubby. He looks after Bayview park like it’s his own, weeding, mowing, picking up litter. It’s pristine because of him, and one of the reasons why visitors travel from wide and far to bring their dogs to Bayview!
This dish is outstanding. Thanks Nagi and Hannah!
Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Made this… absolutely love it. Thanks for the substitution options. I did use less chili and the spice was just enough for our tastes.
Hi Lisa, So glad you loved it! Great call on adjusting the chilli to suit your taste. Thanks for giving it a go!
Absolutely delicious!
I just made this: delicious! I used about 25g of pork mince and not to OG pixan doubanjiang but another one, so my dish isn’t as red or spicy. I’ll definitely pick some up for next time
Thank you for the feedback!
The family gobbled this one up! Did not have the readbean sauce and chili sauce so substituted with 2tbsp crispy chili in oil (brand Laoganma) that I bought for another one of your recipes and it turned out great!!
Hi Tracy, love that swap, Laoganma is a flavour bomb, and such a brilliant substitute! So glad the family loved it—nothing better than an empty plate!
Another amazing recipe Nagi!!
Hi Nagi- I’m on the east coast of the U.S. (Charlotte) and have been obsessing over this recipe since seeing it this morning.
I went to one of our wonderful international markets, Super G Mart- actually run by Korean-Americans- to find Chinese eggplant, dark soy, pickled red peppers, and broad bean sauce. Had everything else.
The dish was exactly as you described. I followed your lead pretty closely- maybe a little more garlic, ginger, and scallions. I used 4 1/2 oz ground pork. (Vacuum packed and froze several more portions of pork since it will make it easier when I make again.)
I purchased your new cookbook a couple months ago and am so pleased with everything I’ve made. I like having a short video with each.
Thanks again for your recipes and inspiration.
Flavors in the final dish were superb!
(Would love to meet you one day in Sydney- maybe Iceberg’s at Bondi Beach.)
Thanks Ted for your lovely feedback!
Can chinese eggplant be substituted for the regular eggplant?
Totally!
Dearest Nagi, thank you for all that you do and the fine example you set. You are a shining light in this difficult world. Sharing your recipes, the stories behind them, and the tremendous changes that you have endured provide a beacon of hope and wonder. Thank you.
I could have swore this site had nutritional info. Am I just not seeing it?
@jay it’s immediately under the notes section above!
I’m new to this product “doubujang”. I see it cones in standard and hot from the same Chinese supplier – which one did you use? (Sichuan Pixian broad bean sauce/chilli bean paste based on English translation I assume)
Hi Carol, we used the spicy Sichuan version.
Why do you choose to not write Sichuan correctly? Also, where are the pepper corns ground or in oil? Recipe isn’t bad but if you are going to an Asian grocery why not buy Chinese eggplants?
Szechuan is just an older romanisation based on the Wade-Giles system. Makes sense to write both Sichuan and Szechuan in the article for SEO purposes.
As Nagi says, this is a riff of the popular Aussie version rather than the original Yu Xiang Qie Zi, so I’d hazard a guess that Western aubergines/eggplants are more natural in the dish, as is the lack of peppercorns.
Hi Nagi, how spicy is this dish? What would you suggest to do for a very mild hint of heat that children or sensitive adults could enjoy?
Looks delic! But I didn’t see the nutrients table, am I going crazy? Any chance of adding it for both the deep fry and pan fry options? Thanks Nagi
Hi from Montreal, Québec! As per Fuchsia Dunlop recipe, I have discovered that this dish is totally doable the vegan way! Remove the pork (not noticeable considering the strong flavors from the other ingredients), replace the honey with a bit more sugar or with our beloved Maple syrup if needed.
As Fuchsia says, why bother with the meat in this case. Merci!
I also find crumbling hard tofu is a good sub for dishes like this and mapo tofu (although I tend to include sliced shitakes in that too
Two great ideas!
Perfect timing! Our eggplants are starting to ripen on the vine. I’ll be making this soon – looks similar to a PFChang (U.S. restaurant) dish, which is divine.
Hi Cathleen, that sounds perfect! Homegrown eggplants will make it even more delicious. Let us know how it turns out!
Not a recipe comment, rather a comment about Dozer. Nagi – I know you would (and have) done EVERYTHING possible to give Dozer the best life possible. 13 years for a Golden Retriever is absolutely amazing. But, I wish you would stop making old man references about him. “Old man dog bones,” “old man breath”, etc. I doubt (and hope) that you do not use terms like that in reference to older people. It is not funny and demeans Dozer, even though I am sure you hold him in the highest regard. Let him age with the dignity and respect you hope people will afford you when you become a woman of a certain age. I am sure many of your followers think of Dozer as a member of their families and will miss him dearly when he is gone.
Lee. You are a dork
Take a chill pill Lee, it’s just a turn of phrase. Blind Freddy can see that Nagi adores Dover, she’s not insulting him just stating a fact in a colloquial way. I’m not sure if you are M or F but no reasonable older man would be offended by the use of it in this context. I wish people would stop being offended on behalf of other people, who are more often than not, not offended themselves.
@Nagi, we love you sharing “old man” Dover’s life adventures with us!
I too love Dozer’s adventures. Dozer cannot speak for himself – he depends on Nagi to do it for him. Joking about him being old is not going to make his passing any easier.
So noted Lee! I say it in jest because making jokes about his old age is my way of coping knowing that I only have limited time left with him. And of course I don’t talk like that about older humans 🙂
You are not alone Nagi x I did the exact same thing in the last years of my 16 yr old “best friend with 4 legs” life too. Some don’t understand and that’s no one’s fault. Keep being you, saying things in your own way. More importantly thanks for reinvigorating my love for cooking, you are an absolute gem. Old man Dozer agrees xo
I am in my late 50s and I consider myself getting older and cannot wait to get to grow “old”. There’s nothing wrong with getting old. It might be my Asian culture but “old” is considered a privilege, to be healthy and blessed enough to get old. It also means that you have lived and have some experiences and hopefully more wisdom and patience. My dog is now 10 and he’s a grumpy old man with his old habits and absolutely old bad breath. Embrace your age and don’t fall for the youth obsessed culture.
I am a woman “of a certain age” and often refer to myself as old (I’m certainly not young). The truth will set you free :0
I luv Nagi n Dozer n I know she meant no harm or disrespect. I am also a golden gal n I often joke abt my golden age. I have no qualms just very accepting n take glory that I am still enjoying life
Hi, you wrote “gook” instead of “cook” in the heading for the ‘How to make it’ section. An error, but an unfortunate one.
BA HA HA!!! Fixed 🙂 Thanks so much for picking that up!! – N x
Just letting you know there is a typo in the heading “How to cook Chinese eggplant with minced pork”! (the word cook)
🥰
You’re not GOOKING tonight, Sarah?!! 🤣 Thanks so much for picking that up! N c
😭 I’ve just been told what a politically incorrect word that is 😭 I didn’t know, I haven’t heard it before.
I am ethnic Chinese and am going to start telling friends that I am gook-ing. kek kek kek
Hi Nagi, just a quick question. Why can’t I save this recipe to ❤️ MyRecipeTin? The recipe is amazing and thanks to you and your crew (especially Dozer) for all the amazing recipes and charity work you all do ❤️