Minced Pork & Aubergine Hot Pot

Aubergine (also known as eggplant or bringal) is a versatile low-carb vegetable (strictly they’re a fruit) and can provide at least 5% of a person’s daily requirement of fibre, copper, manganese, B-6, and thiamine plus anthocyanins, including nasunin, lutein, and zeaxanthin. 128g of aubergine contains approximately 4.82g of carbs, of which 2.46g are fibre.

Here’s a recipe for a silky, spicy and satisfying dish that makes aubergine shine, a Chinese minced pork and aubergine hot pot which serves two.

Ingredients
2 aubergines
200g minced pork
1 tsp ginger minced
½ tbsp balsamic or apple cider vinegar
duck fat or lard (for frying)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 spring onions (for garnish)
1 hot chili or 1 tsp hot chili sauce
1 tbs. dark soy sauce or liquid amino’s
sesame oil (to finish)
white pepper (to finish)
2 anchovies (optional)
Method
Cut the aubergine into chunks keeping a little of the skin on each chunk for added flavour and to keep them from falling apart. Soak the aubergine pieces for 15 minutes in warm salt water, drain and pat dry.
Heat 2 tablespoons of lard or duck fat in a pan and fry the aubergine chunks until soft and nicely browned.
Stir-fry the minced pork (and optional anchovies) along with the garlic, ginger and vinegar until the colour of the pork changes to white. Add the soy sauce/aminos, chilli and a little water.
Gently combine the aubergine with the minced pork. Simmer on a low heat adding a little water if it becomes too dry for approximately 20 minutes.
Garnish with sliced spring onion, drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with white pepper.