HOW TO MAKE EGGPLANT ROCK

Eggplant, a.k.a. aubergine in some parts of this planet. I just call em "Eggplant." Filipinos call it talong, but I just call em "Eggplant." So how can you cook this veggie or fruit? What? Veggie or fruit? Okay eggplants are really a plant that has this oblong thing that looks purplish, and I don't care if it's a fruit or a vegetable. It's an eggplant. 

How can you prepare an eggplant or eggplants? Alright junior let's concentrate on who Ron Sambrano is, and what is his background. 1. Am I an Italian? No. So this leaves out anything Italian although I can do it. 2. Am I an Indian? No. So I won't do some Indian thing to it, although I can. I will my friends do eggplant like I do it in my own kitchen cooking for myself and family. First let's take a look at the different kinds of eggplants you are bound to see in your local market.

1. If you look at the picture on the top of this post, those are the good ones for making breaded eggplants, or even slicing them smaller for stir fries. 

2. The other one is like this one, long and slim.

These are good for soups, stews, and stir fries as well. Filipinos have a dish called Pinacbet and it is a braise with ginger, garlic, maybe some okra, and some tomatoes, shrimp, and fish sauce. These skinnies are good for kung pao chicken, although the big round ones can be used as well. I'm going to let you choose which ones you want, but I'm going for those big ass round ones. And we're going to make some Pork and Eggplant with a little heat.

INGREDIENTS

Cooking the Eggplants

1 large round/oval eggplant, peeled and sliced halved long ways, then sliced into halves, and then into triangular pieces about 1/4" thick.

1 cup of vegetable oil (use sparingly). Tip: Eggplants soak up liquids like you would not believe, so you'll need to eyeball the oil, 1 cup should be enough. just use like a 1/2 cup to start in a large 14" wok. Heat up the oil to medium high, and cook each slice until slightly soft and remove and cool.

Marinating the pork

1 lb. pork loin, sliced thin across the grain, very thin to allow quick cooking.

1 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. cooking sherry or rice wine (not rice wine vinegar)

1 tsp. white pepper

In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients and let it sit for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Sauce

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup sambal oelek (hot chili paste) or more

2 tbsp. raw brown sugar

1 tbsp. fish sauce (patis or nam pla)

Mix all of this in a small bowl and set aside until ready to add to the wok.

DIRECTIONS.

(You should have the eggplants cooked and set aside, as well as the pork sliced and marinated).

1. In the same wok used to precook your eggplant, add about 1 1/2 tbsp. of vegetable oil, and add in 1 tsp. of minced ginger. Over medium high heat, sauté the ginger for about 15 seconds.

2. Then add in the pork, half batch at at time. (You want the pork to get a crust on its exterior).. Finish the fist batch by cooking until it turns brown and set aside. Add in the last batch and do the same. Now when the second batch is cooked, add in the fist batch, toss to heat through.

3. Now add in the sauce, cook until it bubbles. Then add in the eggplants that were pre-cooked. Heat through, and serve with rice. Boom! 

There you have it, an easy home style dish Asian style. We keep it easy, noting too complicated.

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