Mapo Eggplant is exactly what it sounds like—the familiar flavors of everyone’s favorite Mapo Tofu recipe, with the replacement of tender, silky eggplant.
Why Mapo An Eggplant?
For some reason—some folks out there are STILL holding down the fort on hating tofu! I can’t fathom why, when tofu comes in so many different types and textures, and is basically just a vehicle for flavor.
(And I don’t just mean silken to firm. I’m talkin’ five spice pressed tofu, meaty bean threads, the list goes on.)
And yet—these folks hang on. I will say that our Mapo Tofu seems to be a huge help in bringing people over to the pro-tofu side of the fence, with many people raving in the comments that it converted the most diehard anti-’fu folks they know.
All that said, we thought it would be fun to try this Mapo Eggplant to see how it tastes and measures up.
Maybe you don’t like tofu, or maybe you do like tofu and you just don’t have any on hand. Maybe you’re going to have tons of eggplant from your bountiful veggie garden this summer (one can hope!).
In any case, we ended up loving this riff on classic Mapo! The eggplant gets wilted and tender after a pre-sear and bubbling in the spicy sauce, and dolloped over rice…yum!
For anyone who loves Eggplant with Garlic Sauce, this is a great new dish to try out!
Complaints of Bitterness
If you’ve made our Mapo Tofu in the past, there’s a chance that for a variety of reasons, it turned out bitter.
We’ve updated the recipe notes in that Mapo Tofu post to cover off on reasons why that might be, so head over there if you’re curious.
That said, we’ve incorporated the anti-bitterness remedies into this recipe, so there shouldn’t be any problems!
Can I use a regular eggplant?
Yes! You can. We used regular eggplant for this recipe just to lead with the more convenient option and it worked out great.
That said, if you have access to Chinese or Japanese eggplant, it IS the better choice.
They have more tender skin, and much fewer seeds (which can be a tad bitter), so they’re still preferred!
A Little Extra Sugar
Our last cooking note before we get to the action: sugar really helps to balance out the salty and spicy flavors in this dish. This is a departure from our regular Mapo Tofu version, which only needs ¼ teaspoon of sugar.
Something about eggplant— a little bit of extra sugar helps it along, ensuring it takes on all the right flavors.
Ok, on to the recipe.
Mapo Eggplant Recipe Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, water, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, baking soda, and white pepper. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Right before you’re ready to cook, cut the eggplants on an angle into triangular chunks, about 1-inch thick (rotating the eggplant as you cut will give you chunks with sharp angles and a vaguely triangular shape). Don’t let the pieces sit out too long, or they will turn brown.
Heat your wok over medium-high heat until it’s smoking lightly. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil around the perimeter. Spread the eggplant in a single layer in the oiled wok. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until it starts to turn golden, soft, and translucent. (If you have a smaller wok, you can do this step in two batches to ensure the eggplant cooks evenly.) Remove the eggplant from the wok and set on a plate.
Now the steps will be familiar to our classic mapo tofu recipe (with a few key changes to accommodate the eggplant)!
With your wok set over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the ginger, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the garlic, and fry for another minute.
Then turn up the heat to high and add the ground pork. Break up the meat and fry it until it’s cooked through.
Stir in the Sichuan peppercorns. (Adding the peppercorns after you add the pork prevents burning and potential bitterness. Note, you can use Sichuan peppercorn oil as a shortcut to this step, but beware; it can be very potent.)
Stir in the spicy bean sauce. Cook for 1 minute, until the sauce is an even color.
Then add the fermented black beans, chicken stock, chili oil, sugar, and sesame oil. Let this simmer for a minute or so. While that’s happening, put a ¼ cup of water in a small bowl with your cornstarch and mix until thoroughly combined.
Stir the eggplant into the sauce.
Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the cornstarch slurry, and simmer for 1 minute or so to allow the sauce to thicken.
Stir in the scallions until they are just wilted…
And serve!
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Recipe
Mapo Eggplant
Ingredients
For the ground pork:
- 6 ounces ground pork
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 pound Japanese or Chinese eggplant (1 pound = about 2 to 3 Chinese/Japanese eggplants; or substitute 1 large regular globe eggplant)
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any neutral oil, divided)
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger (finely minced; 3 tablespoons = from a 2-inch/5cm piece)
- 3 tablespoons garlic (finely minced; from 9 to 10 cloves)
- 1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground Sichuan peppercorns (we prefer the higher end of that range, but if that’s too strong for you, add it to taste!)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons spicy bean sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fermented black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or water, but stock is preferred)
- 1/4 cup homemade chili oil (standing oil only, minimal flakes)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with 1/4 cup/60 ml water)
- 1 scallion (chopped)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, water, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, baking soda, and white pepper. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Right before you’re ready to cook, cut the eggplants on an angle into triangular chunks, about 1-inch thick (rotating the eggplant as you cut will give you chunks with sharp angles and a vaguely triangular shape). Don’t let the pieces sit out too long, or they will turn brown.
- Heat your wok over medium-high heat until it’s smoking lightly. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil around the perimeter. Spread the eggplant in a single layer in the oiled wok. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until it starts to turn golden, soft, and translucent. (If you have a smaller wok, you can do this step in two batches to ensure the eggplant cooks evenly.) Remove the eggplant from the wok and set on a plate.
- With your wok set over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the ginger, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the garlic. Fry for another minute, and then turn up the heat to high and add the ground pork. Break up the meat and fry it until it’s cooked through.
- Stir in the Sichuan peppercorns and the spicy bean sauce. Cook for 1 minute, until the sauce is an even color.
- Then add the fermented black beans, chicken stock, chili oil, sugar, and sesame oil. Let this simmer for a minute or so. While that's happening, put a ¼ cup of water in a small bowl with your cornstarch and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Stir the eggplant into the sauce. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the cornstarch slurry, and simmer for 1 minute or so to allow the sauce to thicken. Stir in the scallions until they are just wilted, and serve.
