Braised Clay Pot Eggplants with Minced Pork
Rich, smooth and very tasty – Braised Clay Pot Eggplants with Minced Pork is an easy, 20-minute healthy dish that’s perfect as-is on its own, or with rice. The eggplants are braised tender, soft and smooth – contrasting with the chewy, tasty pork, velvet-like gravy and bits of crispy fried anchovies.
Using the clay pot imparts a unique, distinct fragrance that is different from a normal frying pan, and keeps the dish warm for longer as it retains heat. Additionally, it is always a delight to enjoy this Clay Pot Eggplant dish while the sauce is still bubbling, which is another novelty, courtesy of the clay pot.
This recipe serves 5 adults.
Ingredients
Eggplants, which are also known as aubergines, are the main ingredient of this dish. Not only are they nutritionally packed and full of antioxidants, they are also super tender and smooth when braised. I used Chinese/ Japanese eggplants, which have dark purple skin and are quite elongated than the other types. However, for this recipe, any purple eggplants can be used.
Salt, to season the pork and gravy.
Sugar, to balance the saltiness from the salt and light soy sauce.
Light soy sauce adds some umami-ness and saltiness to the minced meat and gravy.
Sesame oil adds a little fragrance and taste to the gravy.
Minced pork, is the main protein for this Clay Pot Eggplant dish. It adds a lovely chewy texture and taste to the dish. If pork is not available, minced/ ground chicken makes a great substitute too.
Cooking oil, for infusing the flavours of the shallots and curry leaf herbs into the gravy. I used unscented Canola oil, but any vegetable oil works as well.
Shallots, which are used for their sweetness and soft, smooth texture. In a pinch, either red onions or yellow onions (chopped finely) works as well.
Curry leaves add a curry-like fragrance to the dish. If unavailable, it can be omitted as it cannot be substituted with other herbs/ leaves.
Red chilli, or cayenne pepper, adds sweetness and a pop of bright red colour.
Spring onions used both a fragrant herb (the white stems), as well as a garnishing (the green leaves).
Tapioca flour is mixed with some water to make the flour slurry. This thickens the gravy, making it velvet-like. It can be substituted with cornstarch – be sure to use 2/3 less as it is thicker and more viscous than tapioca flour.
Water is used to make the flour slurry, and to braise the eggplants.
Crispy fried anchovies – an additional garnishing ingredient for an extra crispy texture in between bites of the Clay Pot Eggplants. This ingredient is optional.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make Braised Clay Pot Eggplants with Minced Pork:
- Marinate the minced pork with salt.
- Make the flour slurry.
- Cut the eggplants into half, and into triangles.
- Heat up the clay pot.
- Fry cooking oil, shallots and curry leaves until fragrant and transparent.
- Cook the minced meat.
- Stir in the chillies and spring onions and seasonings.
- Braise the eggplants, rotating to evenly cook them.
- Taste and adjust.
- Add the flour slurry and stir quickly to combine.
- Garnish with cut chillies, cut spring onions and crispy fried anchovies.
- Mix all the ingredients before serving.
Tips
- Soaking the eggplants helps to slow down the oxidation rate, which in turn, slows down their darkening.
- The clay pot needs to be pre-heated before cooking. Once it is heated, do not touch any part of the clay pot without heat-proof gloves or cloth as it retains a lot of heat.
- Tapioca flour can be substituted with 1/3 tbsp cornstarch if it is unavailable.
- Watch the video to see exactly how I made it!
Storage Instructions
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, in air-tight containers once completely cooled, for a maximum of a day. Be sure to reheat until boiling before consuming it.
It can also be frozen for about 3 weeks.
Do note that the anchovies would not be crispy, and the gravy may lose its texture slightly once this Clay Pot Eggplants dish is thawed and reheated.
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Braised Clay Pot Eggplants with Minced Pork
Equipment
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Clay Pot
- Mittens
- Heat-Resistant Cloths
Ingredients
To Marinate
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 200 g minced pork
Flour Slurry
- 1 tbsp tapioca flour
- 50 ml water
Cooking
- 650 g eggplant, Chinese eggplants
- 50 ml cooking oil, unscented
- 54 g shallot, peeled & chopped
- 2 stalk curry leaves, stripped
- 35 g red chilli, cut
- 15 g spring onion, cut
Seasonings
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 300 ml water
Garnish
- 2 tbsp crispy fried anchovies, optional
Instructions
- Marinate the minced pork with salt, rubbing to evenly distribute it.
- Mix the tapioca flour with 50ml of water until completely dissolved to make the flour slurry.
- Remove the stems from the eggplants. Cut it into half, and cut each half into triangular pieces. Soak the cut pieces in a large bowl of water. Repeat until all the eggplants have been cut.
- Heat up the clay pot on medium-high heat for 2 minutes, or until heat is radiated from the base.
- Add cooking oil and shallots. Strip the curry leaves from their stems. Stir for 2-3 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent and very fragrant.
- Add the minced pork, and stir until combined.
- Add cut red chillies and the white stems of the spring onions. Stir for about 1 minute, or until the pork has changed colour and is cooked.
- Stir in the light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and salt until combined.
- Braise the cut eggplants and water for 5 minutes, covering the clay pot.
- Rotate the eggplants after 3 minutes to evenly cook them. Braise for another 2 minutes.
- Taste and adjust.
- Add the flour slurry and stir to combine.
- Switch off the heat.
- Garnish with cut chillies, spring onions and fried anchovies, and serve.
Video
Notes
- Soaking the eggplants helps to slow down the oxidation rate, which in turn, slows down their darkening.
- The clay pot needs to be pre-heated before cooking. Once it is heated, do not touch any part of the clay pot without heat-proof gloves or cloth as it retains a lot of heat.
- Tapioca flour can be substituted with 1/3 tbsp cornstarch if it is unavailable.
- Leftovers can be kept in the fridge, at most overnight, once completely cooled, to be thoroughly reheated before consuming.
- This dish can also be frozen for up to 3 weeks.
- Watch the video to see exactly how I made it!
- Note: the nutritional information does not include the servings of rice.