About the Recipe
I have mentioned before that Mapo tofu should in fact be called, Ma Po's tofu as the dish is named after its creator, the legendary Mother Po. And so it is with this dish, Ma Po's aubergine. This dish is almost as popular in Japan as the tofu variant - if only Ma Po had known a good patent lawyer!
Ingredients
340g aubergine
3 spring onions
150g minced pork
1 tsp ginger paste
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp chilli bean sauce (toban djan)*
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp ten men djan* or miso
1 tsp sugar
150ml water
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp potato flour
2 tsp water
* chilli bean sauce (toban djan) and ten men djan are Chinese sauces available from Asian stores and online. if you can't get hold of them, use a 1/4 tbsp of grated chilli and miso as substitutes
Preparation
cut the aubergine in half lengthways, then quarter and cut into bite sized pieces
soak the aubergine in water for 10 minutes and drain
thinly slice & mince the garlic
slice the spring onion diagonally
heat 3 tbsp of veg oil in a frying pan. fry the aubergine until softened, then rest on kitchen paper
heat 1 tbsp of veg oil in the pan, add the garlic, ginger and minced pork. stir fry until the pork is lightly browned
add the aubergine, chilli bean sauce, ten men djan, tomato ketchup, soy sauce, sugar & water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes
add the spring onion
mix the potato flour with 2 tsp of water well and add to the pan
and stir well for another 30 seconds
your Ma Po's aubergine is now ready. serve with bowls of steamed rice