🍆 Yu xiang eggplant (fish-fragrant eggplant)

Name: Yu xiang eggplant (fish-fragrant eggplant)
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: China · Sichuan
Ingredients: 500 g eggplant, cut into batons; 150 g minced pork; 3 garlic cloves and 2 cm ginger, finely chopped; 2 fresh or pickled chilies, chopped; 2 tbsp vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 3 tbsp vegetable oil, salt, 100 ml water

Origin: China · Sichuan

285kcal

per serving · 300 g

95kcal

per 100 g

9 gProtein3 g / 100 g

18 gFat6 g / 100 g

24 gCarbs8 g / 100 g

Yu xiang eggplant is a Sichuan stir-fry of soft, silky eggplant and minced pork in a glossy sauce that is sweet, sour and spicy at once. Garlic, ginger and chili give it punch, while vinegar and sugar balance the heat. Despite the name "fish-fragrant", the classic version contains no fish. It is served hot with steamed rice.

Diets

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Low-carb8 g carbs per 100 g

Not vegetarianbecause of: pork

Not veganbecause of: pork

Contains porkbecause of: pork

Contains glutenno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten ⚠ Soy

What it is made of

eggplantporkgarlicgingerchili peppervinegarsugar

Recipe

3 servings35 min

Ingredients

500 g eggplant, cut into batons
150 g minced pork
3 garlic cloves and 2 cm ginger, finely chopped
2 fresh or pickled chilies, chopped
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil, salt, 100 ml water

Method

Salt the eggplant for 15 minutes, then pat dry.
Stir-fry the eggplant in 2 tbsp oil over high heat until soft and golden, then set aside.
Add the remaining oil and stir-fry the pork until browned, then add garlic, ginger and chili for 1 minute.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, water and a pinch of salt, pour into the wok and add the eggplant back.
Simmer for 2–3 minutes until the sauce coats the eggplant, then serve.

How to make it lighter

Eggplant soaks up oil fast — steam or microwave it until soft first, then stir-fry with 1 tbsp oil.
Use lean minced pork, or halve the pork and add more eggplant.
Serve with a modest portion of rice, about 150 g cooked.

History

Yu xiang, "fish fragrance", is one of the classic flavour profiles of Sichuan cooking. It is usually explained as borrowing the seasonings once used to cook fish in the region — garlic, ginger, scallion and pickled chili — and applying them to meat and vegetables.

Count it in one photo

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →