Eggplant Braised Noodles (茄子焖面 Qie Zi Men Mian)
Quick one-bowl noodle dish. Try these eggplant braised noodles if you're short on time!
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 Chinese or Japanese eggplants
- 1/2 lb ground pork or pork belly
- 1 1-inch long piece of ginger
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves
- 2 green onions
- 2/3 lb fresh noodles
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (老抽)
- 1 tablespoon soy bean sauce (黄豆酱)
- ~1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Chinese dark vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- 1
Wash the eggplants. Remove the stem tip. Roll cut the egg plant into large chunks. Peel and mince the ginger. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Slice the green onion into small pieces.
- 2
Heat a large nonstick pan under medium heat. When the pan is warm, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Wait a few seconds then add the ground pork and stir immediately. Add 1 tablespoon of Chinese Shaoxing wine and mix well. When the ground pork changes color from raw pink to white, add the minced ginger, sliced garlic, and 2 teaspoons of dark soy sauce, stirring and tossing together.
- 3
Add the eggplant chunks and 1 tablespoon of soy bean sauce, stirring everything together. Pour ~1 cup of water to the pan, mixing again. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes, stirring and tossing once during the 5 minutes.
- 4
Remove the lid and turn the heat to low or medium low to maintain a slight simmer. If there is enough liquid, scoop out a full ladle and set aside.4 Spread the fresh noodles evenly on top of the eggplants, using your hands to separate any clumps. Drizzle the liquid that was set aside over the noodles. Cover the lid again and let everything cook under low heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.
- 5
Remove the lid. Use a pair of chopsticks or tongs to mix everything together. The liquid should be mostly absorbed by the noodles at this point. Cover the lid again for another minute. Then turn off the heat and drizzle the 1 teaspoon of Chinese dark vinegar and mix well. Divide the noodles into 4 equal portions and enjoy!