Chinese Stuffed Eggplant 煎釀茄子

Photos and recipe updated. (originally posted June 2013)

If you have ever tried to cook eggplant (also known as brinjal or aubergine), you will know that it absorbs oil like how a sponge soaks up water. And unless you are the one cooking, you can't really tell from the 'innocent-looking' eggplant how much oil it has absorbed while being cooked.

Nonetheless, this is one dish I always order at dimsum places, if I still have room in my tummy by the time they come around with it. As dimsum contains a lot of starch and meat, this semi-vegetarian dish is a welcome addition to the standard fare. Eggplant has a rather neutral and bland taste but like a sponge, it nicely absorbs the sauce and complements, instead of competing with the ingredients it is cooked with, turning everything into one happy marriage.

There are various alternatives we can use for the stuffing: ground pork, fish paste or shrimp paste. Using ground pork or store-bought fish paste are the easiest and fastest options. If you feel adventurous enough to make your own fish paste, I have included below a recipe link from Seasaltwithfood. To make fish paste successfully, make sure you use the right kind of fish at its freshest.

In restaurants eggplants are usually deep-fried in oil before steaming with the black-bean sauce. For this home recipe, instead of deep-frying, I pan-fry the eggplant which requires less oil and 'steam' it in a covered pan. This results in a nicely-browned exterior with a soft moist interior while simplifying the cooking and cleaning process.

RECIPE FOR CHINESE STUFFED EGGPLANT

Serves 2

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Ingredients

(A) Eggplant
1 Chinese eggplant (250 - 300g)
3 Tbsp cooking oil

(B) Filling
100g ground pork (or fish paste - see *)
1 stalk scallion, finely chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp chinese rice wine
few dashes of pepper
1 Tbsp water

(* If the fish paste you buy is pre-seasoned, do not add the seasonings above. Fish paste can be found at frozen section of Asian supermarkets or some fish markets.
If you prefer to make your own fish paste, see this recipe from Seasaltwithfood.)

(C) Sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp chinese rice wine
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water

(D) Others
1 tsp cooking oil
1/2 Tbsp fermented black bean 豆豉 (you can choose spicy or non-spicy version)

Steps

1) Mix the filling ingredients (B) together in a bowl. Using a pair of chopsticks or fork, stir mixture quickly in one direction till water has been absorbed and meat becomes paste-like.

2) Mix the sauce ingredients (C) in a bowl and set aside.

3) Cut eggplants slightly diagonally into 1 inch thickness. Make a slit 3/4 way into each slice of eggplant. Stuff a heap of filling into each slit. If needed, use your hands to ensure filling is tight.

4) Over medium heat, evenly spread 2 Tbsp of oil in large flat pan. Once oil is hot, add eggplants in one layer. Immediately cover with lid and pan-fry till bottoms turn golden-brown. Flip eggplants over, add 1 more Tbsp oil, cover with lid and pan-fry till other side turns golden-brown. This should take 7-10 minutes in total. Transfer eggplant to a clean plate.

5) Add 1 tsp oil to the pan and fry the fermented salted black beans till fragrant. Add the sauce and eggplant to the pan and gently stir or toss to coat eggplant evenly with the sauce. Cover with lid and cook for 2-3 minutes.

6) Remove lid and allow sauce to thicken to the right consistency. Turn off the heat, transfer to plate and serve hot.