Thai Eggplant and Ground Pork

Ingredients

• 2 Japanese eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 tbs soy bean paste
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs Seasoning soy sauce (like Maggi)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 7 cloves garlic
• 3 Thai chili
• 1 bunch basil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced

Directions

1. Prep Eggplant: Soak eggplant in salted water until ready to use.
2. Make Paste: Crush chili peppers and garlic in a mortar and pestle until combined.
3. Mix Sauce: Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and 2 tbs water; set aside.
4. Fry Eggplant: Heat 2" oil until very hot. Shallow-fry eggplant 2-3 minutes until browned; remove and set aside. This step preserves structure.
5. Cook Paste: Heat 2 tbs oil and fry chili-garlic paste until fragrant.
6. Brown Pork: Add ground pork and break up with a spatula.
7. Add Bean Paste: When pork is halfway cooked, stir in soybean paste.
8. Combine: Once pork is fully cooked, add sauce mixture, bell peppers, and eggplant. Cook 1-3 minutes to coat and heat through.
9. Finish: Add basil, toss gently, transfer to a serving dish, and serve immediately.

Chef's Notes

• Traditionally, this dish is made with Thai eggplant, which is small, green, and round. Since these are more difficult to find, I adapted this recipe for the more available Japanese eggplant
• This dish can be made vegetarian by substituting firm tofu for the ground pork
  • Cut the tofu into medium blocks and drain in a colander for 1-2 hours
  • Make sure the wok is very hot before placing the tofu blocks
  • Break up the tofu like you would for the ground pork. It will take a long time to release all its water and begin browning, but patience pays off here
  • You can also extend the tofu with coarsely chopped mushrooms. Brown them separately from the tofu, as they also will take a fair amount of time to release their water and brown.
• This dish can be made vegan by using tofu and substituting mushroom sauce for the oyster sauce
• I have used a poblano pepper instead of a red bell pepper and it was an addition I will make again

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