Clay Pot Braised Eggplant in Soy Sauce

Clay Pot Braised Eggplant in Soy Sauce

　　Eggplant is rich in various vitamins, scopoletin, protein, and other nutrients. It is an affordable and nutritious vegetable. Regular consumption is highly beneficial for people with hypertension, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hemoptysis, and scurvy. There are many ways to prepare eggplant. Clay Pot Braised Eggplant in Soy Sauce, made mainly with eggplant and pork belly, is delicious, suitable for all ages, and beloved by many.

　　Preparation Method:

　　1. Select 500g of fresh tender eggplant, 50g of fresh pork belly, 2 eggs, 80g of cornstarch, 50g of onion, 15g each of green and red Hungarian chili peppers, 6g of salt, 1000g of cooking oil (60g actual usage), and appropriate amounts of scallion oil, oyster sauce, abalone sauce, La Meizi spicy sauce, chicken broth, dark soy sauce, pepper, garlic, and ginger.

　　2. Peel the eggplant and cut it into 5cm-long diamond-shaped pieces. Slice the pork belly into 0.3×2×5cm strips. Shred the onion, dice the green and red Hungarian chili peppers into diamond shapes, slice the garlic, and julienne the ginger.

　　3. Place 3g of salt on the eggplant pieces and marinate them for 5 minutes. Coat them with cornstarch. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside. Heat a wok over high heat, add the cooking oil, and when the oil reaches 70% heat, mix the coated eggplant pieces with the beaten eggs. Fry them one by one until golden brown, then remove and drain the oil.

　　4. Heat the wok over high heat, add an appropriate amount of cooking oil, sauté the shredded onion until fragrant, and then transfer it to the bottom of a white ceramic earthen pot.

　　5. Heat the wok over high heat, add an appropriate amount of cooking oil, garlic slices, and ginger strips. Stir-fry until fragrant, then add the sliced pork belly and stir-fry. Add the fried eggplant pieces to the pot, pour in 100g of clear broth, cover, and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the remaining salt, La Meizi spicy sauce, oyster sauce, abalone sauce, chicken broth, and pepper. Stir well, drizzle with some scallion oil, and it’s ready to serve.

　　6. Place the dish over the shredded onion in the white ceramic earthen pot, arrange it neatly, and sprinkle with chopped scallions.

　　Source: Shangcheng County Specialty Dishes Research Association