2026 Cantonese Salted Fish Eggplant Stir Fry
This Cantonese Salted Fish and Eggplant Stir Fry is a flavorful and hearty dish featuring tender ground pork, aromatic salted fourfinger threadfin fish, and soft eggplant chunks. The combination of Shaoxing wine, soy sauces, and oyster sauce creates a savory, slightly sweet sauce that perfectly complements the rich ingredients. Served alongside a simple choisum and carrot stir fry, this meal offers a balanced and satisfying Cantonese-style stir fry experience.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 7 people 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Cantonese
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1200g ground pork
- 3 eggplants, washed and cut into large chunks
Aromatics
- 1 piece salted fourfinger threadfin fish, deboned and minced
- A few cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
- A few slices ginger
- A few shallots, peeled and halved
Sauce
- 4 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
Additional
- About 1 cm oil for frying
- Optional: cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce
- Choisum and carrot stir fry, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare Aromatics and Eggplant: Mince the salted fourfinger threadfin fish and set aside. Crush and peel garlic cloves, slice ginger, and halve the shallots. Wash the eggplants and cut them into large chunks.
- Heat Oil: Pour about 1cm of oil into a pan and heat until it bubbles around wooden chopsticks, signalling it is hot enough for frying.
- Fry Eggplant: Fry the eggplant chunks in batches briefly, until they are lightly browned. Remove them from the pan and blot excess oil with paper towels. Reserve the fried eggplant for later.
- Cook Ground Pork: In the same pan, stir fry the ground pork in batches until it is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove and reserve.
- Stir Fry Aromatics: Add the minced salted fish, garlic, ginger, and shallots to the pan and stir fry until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add Sauce and Combine Ingredients: Pour in Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Add the cooked ground pork and fried eggplant back into the pan, stirring to combine all ingredients well.
- Simmer and Adjust: Allow the mixture to simmer briefly, letting the flavors meld. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary. If you prefer a thicker sauce, stir in a cornstarch slurry and cook until sauce thickens.
- Serve: Serve the salted fish and eggplant stir fry hot alongside a simple choisum and carrot stir fry for a nutritious and balanced meal.
Notes
- Use fresh salted fourfinger threadfin fish or substitute with another salted white fish if unavailable.
- Dry the fried eggplant well to avoid sogginess in the final dish.
- Adjust the sugar and soy sauce quantities to balance the saltiness of the salted fish.
- Serve with steamed rice to complement the rich flavors of the stir fry.
- Add cornstarch slurry gradually to avoid over-thickening the sauce.