If you love eggplant, you will love this combination of eggplant, pork and tempura batter.

Moe declared the recipe a “keeper” and one that he would be happy to eat often.

The inspiration for dinner came from Adam –  author of  The Unorthodox Epicure.

You can find Adam’s recipe here.

I took the basic idea of stuffing eggplant with seasoned pork and dipping in batter before frying, but seasoned it using the same pork filling I use for wontons.

And I also used my own version of  Asian Chili sauce and my favourite “Tempura” style batter.

Sides were fried rice 

and sauteed Baby Bok Choy/Shanghai Bok Choy

 seasoned with garlic.

Crispy Pork Stuffed Eggplant 

Adapted from The Unorthodox Epicure

Pork Filling
1/2 pound finely ground pork
1  inch  piece ginger grated
2 to 3 cloves of garlic minced or grated (Use a Microplane to grate)
1 chopped green onion
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
salt
white or black pepper

Mix all ingredients together.  Saute a small piece to test for seasoning.
Eggplant
Japanese Eggplants or small purple or white eggplants
Peel eggplant.  Cut into 1 inch slices.  Make a horizontal cut in each round, stopping short of cutting all the way through.  Stuff a little of the pork filling between the slices.

Tempura Batter 
(Joe – GardenGuru)
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and pepper
Soda Water

Spicy Asian Chili Sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 or 2 tablespoons of garlic chili sauce
1 or 2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce.
minced ginger
minced garlic
1 green onion minced
sesame oil

Mix all ingredients together.  Adjust to suit own taste.
Heat Peanut Oil to 375°F
Mix dry ingredients.  Add enough soda water to make a thin “pancake” batter.
The eggplant is twice fried.  Fry in stages, 3 or 4 pieces at a time.  Dip stuffed eggplant into flour and then into batter.  Slowly place in hot oil and fry until golden. Turning once. About 4 minutes.   Remove and drain on paper towels.   Just before serving, reheat the oil and fry each piece for another one to two minutes until golden brown.  Serve with spicy chili sauce.