Chinese Stir-Fried Pork with Eggplant and Bell Pepper Recipe
Stir-fried pork with eggplant and bell pepper is a colorful, home-style wok dish that often lands on the weekday table in China – it’s quick to make and tastes great with a bowl of rice. It’s a bit like our Hungarian-style vegetable stew, but in a more Asian, garlicky-gingery version.
This dish combines the richness of pork with the silky texture of eggplant and the sweetness of bell pepper, all wrapped in a fragrant garlic-ginger sauce. It’s quick enough for a weeknight but flavorful enough to feel like a takeaway-style treat at home.
Chef's tips
Slice the meat as thinly as you can – it will cook faster and stay more tender. Don’t overcrowd the pan; if needed, fry the meat in two batches so it browns instead of steams. If you like a thicker sauce, dissolve an extra teaspoon of starch in a bit of water and add at the end, bringing the sauce to a brief boil.
How to serve
Serve in deep bowls over freshly cooked jasmine rice, topped with sliced spring onions or sesame seeds. It also pairs well with a side of quick stir-fried greens like bok choy or spinach with garlic.
Ingredients
- pork loin or pork neck without bone cut into thin strips - 300 g
- eggplant medium, cut into long strips - 1 piece
- bell pepper cut into strips - 1 piece
- onion sliced into thin wedges - 0.5 piece
- garlic cloves finely chopped - 2 piece
- fresh ginger grated or finely chopped - 2 cm
- soy sauce - 2.5 tablespoon
- oyster sauce for vegetarians you can replace it with thick soy sauce with a bit of sugar - 1.5 tablespoon
- rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- potato starch or cornstarch for coating the meat - 1 tablespoon
- oil e.g. rapeseed oil - 4 tablespoon
- chili flakes or fresh chili pepper amount to taste - 0.5 teaspoon
- water for the sauce - 60 ml
Preparation
- Cut the meat into thin strips. In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of soy sauce with 1 teaspoon of starch and 1 tablespoon of water. Add the meat, mix with your hand so every piece is coated, and set aside for 10–15 minutes.
- Cut the eggplant into long strips, sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside for 10 minutes to release some juice. Then quickly rinse under water and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, water and chili flakes. Set aside – this will be the sauce for the dish.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and fry for 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until it softens and is lightly browned. If the eggplant soaks up the oil too much, you can add 1 tablespoon of water instead of more fat. Transfer the eggplant to a plate.
- In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the marinated pork and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is browned and no longer pink inside.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables soften slightly but are still crisp, and the garlic and ginger become very fragrant.
- Return the fried eggplant to the pan. Mix, then pour in the prepared sauce. Stir-fry for another 2–3 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the meat and vegetables.
- Taste and, if needed, season with a bit more soy sauce or sugar. Serve hot with rice.
Storage
Danie przechowuj w lodówce do 3 dni. Podgrzewaj na patelni z odrobiną wody, żeby sos się nie przypalił. Możesz też zamrozić do 2 miesięcy – bakłażan będzie trochę bardziej miękki, ale nadal smaczny.
