Braised Eggplant, Pork and Mushrooms Recipe (2024)

As other notes indicate, there is plenty of room for substitution and experimentation. I used shiitake mushrooms and added them soon after the eggplant. A teaspoon of chili sauce worked well in the place of the red chiles. Serving it over wide rice noodles put this dish into the comfort zone.

We liked this a lot but the sauce needed more intensity, at least for our taste. I ended up doubling the soy and rice wine plus added a splash more balsamic and a decent amount of chile paste. We didn't have cilantro so I added Thai basil at the end which was also delicious.

This is an excellent dish. I followed the advice of fellow commentators and doubled the liquid portion of the recipe. Added ginger and green onions as well as a shallot, and used tofu instead of pork (pan fried ahead of Step 2 and added back when the sauce is put into the pan. It was amazingly good.

A very good base recipe. I added minced ginger, ground Szechuan pepper, and browned w the garlic and chili w the pork removed (per typical Chinese wok use). Put the pork back in, browned a moment, and added the liquid. Sauce required thickening so added - again per typical Chinese cookery -with a sprinkling of potato starch. Delicious!

I used ground turkey instead of pork, and shiitakes (sliced and added after the eggplant step and before the fluids, and then stir-fried a minute or two) because I couldn't find enokis. Mindful of Stephanie's comment, I doubled the soy, sherry, sugar, vinegar, and pepper. It was great, and I will definitely make it again. Next time, I think I'll omit the water (there was more than enough liquid with the extra soy, sherry, and vinegar) and add in a little minced ginger.

I used a cut-up pork chop, rice vinegar instead of wine (was out), added a dash of freshly grated ginger (thanks, Diane), spelled some sesame oil at the end. Also, I cooked most of the evoking mushrooms at the simmer stage. Delicious. Thanks!

Delicious! Added broccoli florets and sliced 8 oz of cremini mushrooms, stir fried with asian eggplant. subbed 8 oz of ground chicken for pork and chirachi(on hand) to sauce in place of chilis with fresh grated fresh ginger. Added touch of sesame oil at end sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. Definitely a keeper. Thank you Mark Bittman!!

I made this with ground turkey instead of pork and it turned out very well. It tastes good as leftovers, too.

On a vegetarian kick so we replaced the pork with firm tofu, browned in a little oil. It worked out very well. I thought that the addition of two dried hot chiles was perfect but 'she who must be obeyed' found it a little spicy so we will cut back next time. Also, subbed Crimini mushrooms, sliced, browned and cooked, since Enoki were not available. Delicious! Thank you Mr. Bittman!

Was awesome. Serves 2 hungry people at max- can’t see it serve 3. My husband and I were literally licking our plates. Texture of the eggplant is so gooey- that makes the fish. I added some more chilies to up the heat , used dark soy and sh*take mushrooms. There was sufficient liquid - I didn’t feel I needed to double the “water”...

I added a little fresh ginger and used ground chicken that I chopped up in my Cuisinart instead of the pork. Mmmmmm!

Joe, I saw my recipe in today's NYT food newsletter and decided to look at the notes. I so appreciate your comments about my work, although it's been a year since you posted. Thanks for your support. Linda Anusasananan

Made it w/ground pork (from an heirloom breed raised by a friend) and baby eggplants. Used dry sherry, as I had no Shaoxing, and dark soy sauce. Didn't double the liquids, but will next time. Couldn't find enoki at the store tonight, so used Beech mushrooms and let them cook a bit before taking the pan off the heat. Served with Jasmine rice. Next time, I'll add more vegies!

Excellent base recipe- made as directed and doubled the sauce. Next time I will double the sugar, add broccoli and arrowroot to thicken, and perhaps red bell pepper for color and to increase the vegetables, and consider adding fresh ginger.

Delicious! I froze portions. When I used a frozen portion, I added fresh corn kernels and some chopped red sweet pepper. Added some cornstarch to thicken and served over rice.

Be sure to have enough sauce. Very good w udon. Used chili garlic sauce. Mmmmm

5 Stars isn’t enough, this is a terrific dish. Prepared per recipe, but using sake and balsamic vinegar. A Chinese eggplant was used; sliced into ~3/8 inche slices- 2 inches in length. Not labor- or utensile-intensive. For guests, it would be an absolute treat! Will be a frequent repeater, here.

This was so good - very classic Chinese flavors. I enjoyed mine with dry white wine because I thought I had the sherry but didn't so subbed my favorite white wine. I used dark soy sauce and 8 oz of Bob Evans sausage because that's what I had, and it was really good. I used the whole 7 oz package of enoki mushrooms because they're so small, and I used three Japanese eggplants which was more than 12 oz. I served with the cilantro and added green onion. I served over white rice. Excellent.

Really really good - doubled the sauce as recommended in the comments. This will be a staple In my household for sure!

Fantastic recipe. I added more liquid, salted the eggplant about an hour before, added some cornstarch, swapped the black pepper for Szechuan pepper, and added an obscene number of Thai red chiles. Make sure to get a solid sear on the eggplant before adding the liquid.

Made this multiple times and always a big hit. Perhaps not the prettiest dish despite the cilantro and eggplant so I sometimes add a chopped red or orange bell pepper. One of my favorite recipes.

This is one of our favorite dishes. I use less than half the pork, half the water in the sauce, and I roast the eggplant before adding it. I have found that sautéeing the eggplant takes a while and if it isn't really cooked it soaks up the sauce and becomes spongy.

Good as written, though I added some ginger to the garlic. Didn’t need additional liquid.

Addictive! I made the recipe as written, except I added additional powdered ginger, white and black pepper. My husband (not an eggplant lover) ate two helpings. I added chili oil and salt and loved it. Next time I'll add couple of inches of grated fresh ginger.

!!! So good. Substituted mirin for shaoxing and omitted sugar, and used fresh chilis instead of dried. Cilantro is the perfect herb for this and makes the dish so fresh. Great layered flavors throughout!

Christina makes this with tofu instead of pork.

This is an awesome eggplant recipe. I have a few Asian eggplant favorites but this one is super easy, and tasty! I omitted the pork and used only 1 tbsp of oil. Also blanched mushrooms substituted beech and think seafood shrooms would hold up even better. Starched the sauce at the very end. I’d say the hot peppers and the cilantro are critical to the taste profile as is genuine black vinegar.