Eggplant with Pork Sung

Vegetables, also Vegetarian Foods

Eggplant with Pork Sung
Ingredients:
2 thin purple Asian eggplants, about seven ounces each
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon sacha or fish sauce
1 green pepper. Cut into half-inch pieces
1 chili pepper, minced
1 teaspoon granulated or crushed Chinese brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with one-quarter cup water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 Tablespoons pork sung
Preparation:
1. Cut the eggplants in half and rub each half with coarse salt. Let them stand for ten to fifteen minutes, then rinse and dry them. Make cuts, half inch apart, cross-hatching the flat surface of each eggplant only a quarter-inch deep.
2. Heat oil and fry the garlic for half minute, then add the eggplant pieces and fry first on one side then the other until they are lightly browned on both sides. Remove them from the oil, leaving any remaining oil in the pan. Put the eggplant pieces on paper towels to drain, and allow them to sit for two or three minutes. Then put them in a single layer on a large plate or platter.
3. Fry the sacha sauce and both peppers for one minute, then add the cornstarch water and stir-fry, stirring, for another minute. Next add sesame oil and stir-fry one more minute. Pour this over the eggplant pieces, sprinkle with the pork sung, and serve.

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