Fried Eggplant Sandwich (炸茄盒 Zha Qie He)

Peel and mince the ginger. Slice the green onion into small pieces. In a large bowl, add the rest of the sandwich ingredients except the eggplant. This includes the 1 lb (~450g) of ground pork belly, minced ginger, sliced green onions, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of corn starch, 1/4 teaspoon of ground white pepper, and 1 egg. Mix everything with a circular motion either clock-wise or counter clock-wise until everything is evenly combined. Let the pork belly fillings marinate while preparing for the other ingredients.

Wash the eggplant. Cut as shown in the pictures. If you're using a thinner eggplant, cut it at a angle so the cross section has an oval shape and more area to work with. If the eggplant is thick, cut it straight down so the cross section has a round shape. When cutting, make 2 different cuts. Leave 1/4 inch (~0.6cm) between each cut. DO NOT cut all the way on the first cut (so the fillings can go inside while the eggplants are still connected).

In a separate bowl, combine everything under the the "batter" section in the ingredients. This includes 1/2 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon of corn starch, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Mix thoroughly. The batter should be smooth and thick enough that when lifting, a peak forms then subsides quickly.

Scoop enough pork belly filling into the eggplant, one at a time until all the eggplants are filled. See pictures. There should not be any extra filling sticking out from the oval shaped eggplant bread.

Heat enough oil (~ 1 cup) in a stainless steel skillet under medium-high heat. When the temperature reaches 320 °F (160°C), dip the eggplant sandwiches one at a time into the batter. Make sure to coat each sandwich entirely with a thin layer. Then transfer immediately into the skillet to fry.

Repeat with the rest of the eggplant sandwiches. Leave some space in between each sandwich in the skillet and fill the skillet is filled with one layer of sandwiches. Flip each sandwich over when its bottom side becomes golden brown (about 3 minutes). When both sides are golden brown, take the sandwich out and leave on a kitchen towel lined plate to cool. Depending on the number of eggplant sandwiches, it may take more than 2 batches to fry.

Use a strainer to remove any small bits of frying batter. Once all the sandwiches are cooled, use the same skillet to fry the sandwiches again (double fry) under medium-high heat. Make sure the temperature reaches 320 °F (160°C) before adding the sandwiches. Flip each sandwich after about 20 seconds. Watch carefully to prevent burning. It takes less than 1 minute in total to fry each sandwich for the second time.

Take the eggplant sandwiches out of the pan and cool them on a kitchen towel lined plate for 1-2 minutes before serving. Enjoy while they are hot!