Eggplant with Minced Meat and Salted Fish

One of the joys I have is cooking for my family. The fun part is trying to sieve out the flavors of the food that we like while eating out so that I can try to replicate it at home - of course sometimes, I can't do it without some help from the internet!

I was inspired to cook this dish at home after we tried it at a Chinese restaurant. The portion was very small and couldn't satisfy our meal that night so I knew I had to try cooking this. So glad when I see my husband and son ply the eggplant onto their plate of rice repeatedly. It is a good standalone dish. Best part? It is not a daunting dish to prepare at all. (Recipe adapted from The Meatmen)

Preparation time : 10 minutes  Cooking time : 10-12 minutes  Serves : 4

Ingredients :

2 medium size long eggplant (about 1/8-1/4 longer than the size of a palm)
80-100 gm minced meat (I used pork. Minced chicken would work too.)
2 slices of dried salted fish (about 20-30 gm)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
Some spring onions, cut into small pieces
Some oil for cooking
Corn flour

Sauce :
a) 1 tbsp oyster sauce
b) 1 tsp light soya sauce
c) 1/2 tsp black soya sauce
d) 1 tsp black vinegar
e) 1 tsp soy bean paste 
f) 1 tsp sugar
g) 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
h) 1 tsp corn flour mix with 1/4 cup water to thicken sauce

Method :
- Firstly, slice the eggplant into wedges and lightly coat it with corn flour.
- Heat your pan with about 3 tbsp of cooking oil, pan fry the eggplant (or deep fry if you must) till slightly soften and browned. Drained and set aside.
- Rinse and cut the salted fish into smaller pieces.
- Prepare a fresh pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Stir fry the salted fish, garlic and ginger till fragrant.
- Add the minced meat, give a good mix and fry till cooked.
- Add the sauces from the above list (a) - (g). Mix well.
- Add in the eggplant and let it stew with the meat for a few minutes.
- Add in the cornflour mix to thicken sauce.
- Add the spring onions and give a final stir.
- Serve and enjoy with piping hot white rice!

Till the next post, have a wonderful day!

Absolutely Me,