Rou Zao Qie Zi
肉燥茄子·(ròu zào qié zi)
便當 (Biàndang) - The Taiwanese Bento Box for School and Office
Purple Taiwanese eggplant is a pure rice killer, built on rendered pork fat, sweet fried shallots, Kimlan soy paste, and a massive hit of fresh Thai basil at the finish. Restaurant cooks keep the skins bright violet by plunging them into vats of boiling oil, a miserable prospect on a Tuesday night. Instead, modern Taiwanese grandmas toss the cut eggplant in a little oil and nuke it for two minutes, locking in the royal purple color so the flesh collapses as soon as it hits the pan skin-side down in hot oil. Pack it over steamed rice in a stainless-steel biandang box, soaking up savory pork juices like a sponge so it tastes even better three hours later at a school desk or office cubicle.
Before you start
Whisk together the light soy sauce, rice wine, dark soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and water in a small bowl to make the braising sauce.
Stir the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water in a separate small cup until smooth.
Ingredients
- long Asian eggplants1 lb
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- ground pork1/2 lb
- garlic cloves3
- fresh ginger1 tsp
- crispy fried shallots2 tbsp
- light soy sauce2 tbsp
- Taiwanese rice wine or dry sherry1 tbsp
- dark soy sauce1 tsp
- granulated sugar1 tsp
- ground white pepper1/4 tsp
- water or unsalted chicken broth1/3 cup
- cornstarch1 tsp
- fresh Thai basil leaves1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Toss the eggplant sticks with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
Make sure every piece of purple skin is slick with oil before covering with a plate or vented plastic wrap. This thin oil barrier and rapid burst of steam destroy the browning enzymes instantly, keeping the skins neon purple and turning the insides creamy without deep-frying.
- 02
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the ground pork for 3 to 4 minutes.
Let the meat sear undisturbed for a full minute before breaking it up with your spatula so it actually develops color and renders out its fat.
- 03
Push the pork to the perimeter of the pan, add the garlic and ginger to the pooled fat in the center, and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 04
Toss in the fried shallots and stir everything together for 30 seconds.
Store-bought crispy shallots are the secret backbone of Taiwanese homestyle cooking; waking them up in hot pork fat gives the sauce a deep, roasted sweetness.
- 05
Pour in the braising sauce, bring to a rapid simmer, and gently fold in the microwaved eggplant along with any juices from the bowl.
- 06
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the eggplant sponges up the savory broth.
- 07
Give the cornstarch slurry a quick stir, pour it into the pan, and toss gently for 30 seconds until the sauce tightens into a glossy glaze.
Do not skip the slurry if you are packing this into a lunchbox; it binds the pork fat and vegetable juices so the sauce clings to the eggplant instead of weeping into your rice.
- 08
Kill the heat completely, throw in the Thai basil leaves, and fold them through for 15 seconds until just wilted.
Cooking basil over a live flame turns it black and kills its punchy, licorice aroma. Let the residual heat of the pan do the work.
Notes
Buy slender Chinese or Japanese eggplants from the Asian market, never the bulbous Western globe eggplants.
Globe eggplants have tough skins, bitter seeds, and watery flesh that turns to mush. Long Asian eggplants are sweet, tender, and built for braising.
Use Thai basil as a dead ringer for Taiwanese basil (jiǔcéngtǎ).
If you are stuck with standard Italian sweet basil, tear the leaves gently and add a tiny pinch of Chinese five-spice powder to the braising sauce to mimic the missing anise warmth.
Add a teaspoon of spicy fermented bean paste (lǎ dòubànjiàng) or a chopped fresh red chili with the garlic if your family likes heat.
Keep it to a teaspoon so it backs up the sweet pork and shallots rather than turning the dish into Sichuan eggplant.