Name: Pork and eggplant salad with salted chilli
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 small Japanese eggplant, thickly sliced; 8 apple eggplant, trimmed (see note); 2 tbsp vegetable or grapeseed oil; 300 gm minced pork; 2 red or golden shallots, thinly sliced; 2 red birdseye chillies, thinly sliced, or to taste; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 2 tbsp crushed palm sugar; 2 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp fish sauce; ½ cup each (loosely packed) coriander, Thai basil and mint; To serve: pork crackling (optional; see note); Salted chilli; 6 red birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped; 2 tbsp sea salt; 1 tbsp each fish sauce and rice vinegar

Pork and eggplant salad with salted chilli

Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for pork and eggplant salad with salted chilli.

Serves 4

Prep

15M

Cook

10M

Total

25M

The combination of steamed and raw eggplant gives this Thai-style dish great textural interest, while a tangy salted-chilli condiment served alongside lets you control the amount of heat. It’s great to serve with all manner of Asian dishes and keeps well in the fridge for a couple of months.

Ingredients

4 small Japanese eggplant, thickly sliced

8 apple eggplant, trimmed (see note)

2 tbsp vegetable or grapeseed oil

300 gm minced pork

2 red or golden shallots, thinly sliced

2 red birdseye chillies, thinly sliced, or to taste

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tbsp crushed palm sugar

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp fish sauce

½ cup each (loosely packed) coriander, Thai basil and mint

To serve: pork crackling (optional; see note)

Salted chilli

6 red birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped

2 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp each fish sauce and rice vinegar

Method

Main

1.For salted chilli, process ingredients in a small food processor until finely chopped and set aside until required. Refrigerate in a sterile container for up to 2 months.

2.Steam Japanese eggplant until tender (4-5 minutes), then set aside. Meanwhile, thinly slice apple eggplant on a mandolin and stand in iced water to crisp (4-5 minutes).

3.Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan over high heat, add pork and stir-fry until browned all over (4-5 minutes), then combine in a bowl with shallots, chilli and garlic. Set aside.

4.Pound palm sugar with a mortar and pestle, then stir in lime juice and fish sauce.

5.Drain apple eggplant, add to pork mixture, drizzle with lime juice mixture, toss to combine and serve on a platter over steamed eggplant and scattered with herbs and pork crackling.