Savory Steamed Eggplant with Pork

This does not look like much but - trust me - you will eat so much more of this than you planned out of sheer greed. It is that good. I served this over rice and inhaled it. Another plus is that you can get this savory steamed eggplant with pork on the table fast, though with rice it will take a liitle longer.

This made 2 portions so I devoured one and froze the other for future use.

2 small Chinese eggplant, topped and tailed, and cut into eight thin spears

1/2 lb ground pork

1 green onion, finely chopped

1/4 of a small red onion, peeled and cut into thin crescents

1/8 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp chili crisp oil (store bought is fine, just make sure that you use some of the aromatics from the bottom as well as the oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp mirin

Splash of sake

pinch of sugar

Place the eggplant pieces over a steamer placed over cold water and steam over medium heat for about eight minutes. Set aside.

Place the chili oil and alliums in a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often so that it does not stick or burn, until soft and translucent. If it looks as though it might, add a splash of water.

Add the pork and the sugar and cook until nearly cooked through, stirring often to keep the meat from clumping. This will take about five minutes.

Stir in the remaining wet ingredients and stir to combine, ensuring that the pork is coated with the liquid which will come together to form a glossy sauce.

Gently stir in the eggplant and the ginger and heat until the eggplant is heated through.

Serve with rice or over rice noodles.