Braised eggplant à la Ching Palace

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 8 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 m.-large eggplant(s)
• 120 g minced pork
• 6 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 1 small spring onion(s)
• 3 Pepper, red, long, medium hot
• 1 liter of water
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 2 tbsp coconut water

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Served here as a side dish with noodles and salad. Recipe from Beijing, China.

Mix the soaking ingredients. Wash the eggplant, trim both ends, and cut crosswise into approximately 2.5 cm wide slices. Immediately add the slices to the brine and soak for 15 minutes. In the meantime, finely chop the garlic cloves and spring onion. Remove the stems from the bell peppers, wash them, slice them lengthwise, open them up, remove the seeds, and cut them crosswise into thin strips from the top. Mix the soy sauce with the coconut water. Drain the brine, rinse the eggplants, and dry them between fresh tea towels. Gently heat 6 tablespoons of the sunflower oil in a wok and fry the eggplants until the skin shrinks slightly. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Reheat the remaining oil in the wok along with 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil and stir-fry the minced pork until it has completely changed color. Add the garlic, spring onion, eggplant, and chili peppers and stir-fry for 1 minute. Reduce the heat. Deglaze with the soy sauce mixture and stir-fry thoroughly. Cook until the liquid is almost gone. Arrange on a platter and serve as a side dish.