Cantonese Eggplant with Salted Fish & Pork
This Cantonese Salted Fish and Eggplant Stir Fry is a flavorful and aromatic dish combining minced salted fourfinger threadfin fish, tender eggplants, and ground pork. Stir-fried with a savory sauce made from Shaoxing wine, soy sauces, and oyster sauce, this dish showcases the classic umami-rich flavors of Cantonese cuisine. Perfect for serving with steamed rice and vegetable sides like choi sum and carrot stir fry, it’s a comforting and satisfying meal for seven.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 7 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Cantonese
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1200g ground pork
- 3 large eggplants, cut into large chunks
Aromatics
- 1 piece salted fourfinger threadfin fish, deboned and minced
- A few cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
- A few slices of 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
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Mince the salted fourfinger threadfin fish and set aside. Wash and cut the eggplants into large chunks. Crush and peel the garlic cloves, slice the ginger, and peel and halve the shallots.
- Heat Oil: In a deep pan or wok, heat about 1cm of oil until it bubbles vigorously around a pair of wooden chopsticks, indicating the oil is ready for frying.
- Fry Eggplants: Fry the eggplant chunks in batches until they are lightly browned but not fully cooked. Remove and drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil, then set aside.
- Cook Ground Pork: In the same pan, stir fry the ground pork in batches until it is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Sauté Aromatics: Add the minced salted fish, garlic, ginger, and shallots to the pan and stir fry until fragrant, releasing their aromatic flavors.
- Add Sauce and Ingredients: Pour in the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Stir to combine the sauce. Return the cooked ground pork and fried eggplants back into the pan, stir well to coat everything in the sauce, and allow to simmer briefly to meld flavors.
- Adjust Seasoning and Thicken Sauce: Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If a thicker sauce is desired, add a small amount of cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) and stir until the sauce thickens.
- Serve: Serve the stir fry hot, accompanied by choi sum and carrot stir fry or other vegetables to balance the meal.
Notes
- Be sure to fry eggplant in batches to avoid overcrowding and ensure even browning.
- Salted fourfinger threadfin fish adds authentic umami flavor but can be substituted with other salted fish if unavailable.
- Use paper towels to blot excess oil from eggplants for a less greasy dish.
- Adjust sugar and soy sauce quantities based on your taste preferences.
- Serve with steamed rice and stir-fried greens for a complete meal.