this dish was inspired by a recent trip to tai o in lantau island. tai o is a small fishing village, heavily visited by both locals and tourists alike. we went for a day trip, and sampled a few of the regional dishes, such as grilled dried squid, egg waffles, and tai o donuts. we ended our day in a small chinese restaurant. one of the favorite item on the menu was braised eggplant with shrimp paste. we loved it so much that we wanted to recreate something similar back at home. we took out the shrimp paste and substituted it with a chili bean paste instead. we felt the shrimp paste made the dish a bit salty and rich, so we thought that a spicy version would liven the flavors a bit.
if you don’t have a claypot, don’t fret, a regular pot will do.
eggplant 2
ground pork 1/2 lb
shallot 3
garlic 3 cloves
ginger 1/2 inch nub
green onion 2
soy sauce 1 tbsp
dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
oyster sauce 1 tbsp
chili sauce 2 tbsp
oil 3 tbsp
water 1 cup
- rough chop the shallot, garlic, and green onion and thinly slice the ginger
- toss them into the claypot with 3 tbsp of oil, turn heat to medium-high to lightly brown
- add the ground pork, cook for a few minutes to brown the meat
- then add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili sauce, and water, mix evenly
- place all of the eggplant into the claypot and cover with a lid, cook for a few min to soften the eggplant
- stir the sauce on the bottom to mix evenly with the eggplant
- turn heat to low and braise until desired tenderness of eggplant, for us it was about 15 min
brown the aromatics along with the ground pork
once browned, add all the sauces
that’s the dark soy sauce and chili sauce we used
fill the claypot with eggplant, cover and let it slowly braise
the eggplant acts like a sponge absorbing all the meaty spicy goodness
Homemade in Hong Kong 
whenever i make eggplant, it comes out soggy and gray…
Then it’s most likely overcooked. Low heat is key cause u want to soften it without breaking it down too much. And a good amount of oil helps too.
do you cook it uncovered or covered? i steam it in a pan and it comes out gray even when it’s not fully cooked yet.
I cook it covered. Do u use oil, that helps. Otherwise it dries out and it turns grey.
i only use a little bit of oil. i add water so itll steam.
I would toss the eggplant in oil to get it evenly coated
Okay I’ll need a lot more oil then. Thanks for the tip!
That’s beautiful! I love eggplants! thanks for sharing!
Thank you!!
I will try this tonight. I’m crazy about eggplant, and as fate would have it, I’ve just 3 pieces at home.
it was meant to be 🙂
It looks so delicious, I love it 🙂
thank you!!
Thanks for this recipe. I too had a fabulous time on Lantau at the old fishing village of Tai O. Here’s a link to the online version of my travel story, published in NZ Life & Leisure magazine http://nzlifeandleisure.co.nz/lantau-the-last-of-its-kind/
Anna
Does it make a difference in taste if you use a regular pot instead of a clay pot? I don’t have a clay pot. Thanks.
yes a regular pot will do. the purpose of a clay pot is to keep the food warmer for a longer period of time. thank!