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Chinese eggplant with minced pork
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5 from 11 votes

Chinese eggplant and minced pork - Sichuan Fish Fragrant Eggplant

Recipe video above. Tried making this iconic Sichuan dish before and been underwhelmed? This  one’s the real deal! Called Yu Xiang Qie Zi, this is straight from our RTM Chef Hannah, born and raised in the Sichuan province of China, a family of chefs at that! Even her chef father gave this recipe his rare stamp of approval.🙌🏻
For full authenticity, grab broad bean sauce and pickled chilli from an Asian store. That said, our supermarket-sub version is so good, we’d have happily shared it - if we hadn’t already tasted the OG!
Traditionally, the eggplant is deep fried (and yes, that’s why it’s so melt-in-your-mouth good). But see Note 1 for a fantastic no-fry pan-steamed option! Spiciness - Low mild. There's not that much chilli in it!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Mains, Stir Fries
Cuisine: Chinese, Sichuan
Keyword: Chinese eggplant with minced pork, eggplant stir fry, fish fragrant eggplant, sichuan eggplant, Yu Xiang Qie Zi
Servings: 4 - 5
Calories: 383cal
Author: Nagi

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
Cups - Metric

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.

Notes

1. No fry version - based on this pan steamed eggplant recipe I've previously shared. End dish is not as luxurious because of less oil, but still an excellent mid-week healthier version as all the flavour is still there!
2. Eggplant - This recipe calls for regular eggplant, not Asian ones, so you can cut batons the way restaurants do for this dish. To cut - I cut into 1.5cm / 0.6" rounds, then cut each circle into batons. Skin removal - These days, bitterness in the skin has been largely bred out. I've never had a problem. If you're concerned, just peel the skin off (I use a potato peeler).
3. Meat - Pork is traditional. Chicken and turkey will also work though the meat will be a little drier (it's just what it is).
4. Pickled red chilli (also called salted chillies) – Chopped, salted Chinese red chillies used in the original Taste of Shanghai dish. We use Tan Tan Xiang brand (from Asian grocers). Sub with finely chopped pickled hot peppers like Hoyts, or even pickled jalapeños (yes, really!). Adds spicy tang - skip it for less heat, but you’ll lose a flavour layer. 
5. Chinese broad bean sauce (doubanjiang) is a fermented paste made from broad beans, soybeans, and salt, often with chilli. It’s savoury, salty, and packed with umami. We use the spicy Sichuan version (Pixian doubanjiang) which is the most well known and used in dishes like Mapo Tofu. Excellent no Asian-store subs - see Note 6!
6. Can't get to an Asian store? Use one of these regular grocery shop options instead of pickled red chilli and broad bean sauce - end result is 92% as good! (We were pretty amazed):
Option 1: 2 tsp miso, 3 tsp sambal oelek, 1 tsp chopped pickled hot peppers
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!)
8. Chinese black vinegar - Looks like balsamic vinegar, tastes like it too but with a slight savoury edge. Available at Asian stores and some large supermarkets. Substitute with half balsamic vinegar and half rice vinegar (it's pretty close).
Leftovers will keep for 3 days though note that eggplant softens and sweats. Truly best eaten freshly made!

Nutrition

Calories: 383cal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 521mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg