Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce recipe

Slice off the tip ends of the eggplants. Rinse and pat dry. Slice the eggplant crosswise into 2.5-inch sections then quarter each section lengthwise.

Soaking: In a large bowl, add the eggplants and fill the bowl with tap water. Place a plate up-side-down on top of the eggplants to help them submerge under the water. Soak for 10 minutes. After soaking, pat them dry and toss them with starch.

In the meantime, prepare the garlic, set aside red chilies, and combine the garlic sauce in a measuring cup.

In a well-heated large non-stick saute pan, add 1 tbsp oil, fry the meat over medium-high heat until it’s cooked through and break up to fine pieces, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cooking wine, and add-in the garlic and dry chilies. Fry the ground meat for 1 more minute.

Push the pork to the sides of the pan to clear the center. Add the eggplant to the center with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and season with another pinch of salt. Fry over medium-high heat for 3 minutes total, about 1½ minutes per side.

Pour in the garlic sauce. Gently push the eggplants down to touch the liquid. Cover with a lid. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the eggplants are soft and cooked through, stirring every 2 minutes. Turn off the meat.

Transfer them to a large serving bowl and garnish with scallions. Serve warm with a bowl of steamed rice.