EGGPLANT WITH GROUND PORK AND SALTED BLACK BEANS

 
 
This is one of my very favorite dish! It is truly amazing and satisfying with rice. There are different kinds of eggplant varies by size and flavor. Some are soft and firm. Some are mild and sweet. It is hard to tell which one are really best to cook because I always pick the tender kinds because it is easy to give it a good flavor. Although eggplant in general is not very popular vegetable because of it’s bland flavor and texture. But adding some saltiness in it gives it an amazing flavor. In Mediterranean style it is mostly cooked with cheese and bake. In Asian countries and in the Philippines, we cook it to pair with rice for a full meal satisfaction. There are many ways to cook it in Filipino style but this is by far my favorite!  If I don’t have salted black beans, I would use shrimp paste. This is what makes it great for flavoring! If you don’t know what this is you can order this in amazon.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 large Chinese eggplant
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup salted black beans, rinsed
• 3 cloves fresh minced garlic
• 1 large sliced shallots/onions
• 2 tbsp kikoman dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp any vinegar
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 large jalapeno pepper
• cilantro for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Toss 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp vinegar into the ground pork and mix well.
• Add the olive oil into the heated wide skillet.
• Add the pork and cook until light brown for 2 minutes.
• Add fresh garlic and shallots and cook until brown.
• Add the rinsed, salted black beans.
• Toss the eggplant and mix thoroughly. Spread them all around the skillet evenly. Cover for 5-8 minutes, and open in between minutes to stir.
• When eggplant is tender, add the jalapeno and stir again. Cover and let it sizzle for 2 minutes.
• Turn off fire. Serve and garnish with cilantro. Drizzle with olive oil(optional)

Serve with rice!