Recipe: Eggplant with Hot Garlic Sauce (2 servings)

Eggplant with Hot Garlic Sauce
rec.food.cooking/Edward Alexander (1995)
Makes two servings

The following is from the Honolulu Advertiser, 6 May 81, and was created by Robert Hsu for the Maple Garden Restaurant in Moiliili, across the Ala Wai form Waikkiki. When I was there it had the best Chinese food in Honolulu, in the face of fairly stiff competition. I am not a skilled cook, but I have made this with credible results.

1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh red chile pepper or 1/4 teaspoon dried chile pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cornstarch, mixed with a little water to make paste
1/2 to 3/4 pound eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 inch strips
1/2 cup pork, sliced into small strips
1 cup oil

In a small bowl, mix together ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, chili pepper and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat oil in frying pan or wok until hot. Add eggplant and fry until the pulp of the vegetable is brown but not burnt. Place eggplant between paper towels and lightly press down to extract excess oil from the vegetable.

Add pork to pan and fry about 1 minute. Remove pork, discard oil. Heat sauce in pan until near boiling, add eggplant and pork. Mix together until thoroughly heated. Serve hot over rice.