Steamed aubergine with glass noodles and minced pork 咸香絞肉粉絲蒸茄子

Few days ago this Guardian article mentioned aubergine has more nicotine than other vegetables. Guess I may be addicted to this humble spongy vegetable. I have posted quite a few oriental recipes with aubergine. Aubergine is one of those vegetables that must be thoroughly cooked to give it a silky texture and sweet flavour, utterly delicious IMO. Undercooked aubergine is awful feels and tastes like tasteless chewy sponge.

This recipe is something I threw together that I think worth posting to share. It's easy just mix and steam, clean cooking. It has three layers of ingredients. The salty spicy fishy meat flavour infused the aubergine, and the glass noodles absorbed both the juice and flavour from the pork and aubergine.

Ingredients:
1 large aubergine (eggplant), about 350 - 400g
70 - 80g dried glass noodles (cellophane noodles), soaked
about 125 - 150g minced pork (ground pork)
2 tbsp dried shrimps, rinsed and roughly chopped
4  - 5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 - 3 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tsp Chinese shrimp sauce 咸蝦醬, if shrimp sauce is not available sub with 1 tbsp oyster sauce
some light soy
a pinch of sugar
a little chilli oil
a little sesame oil
some chopped spring onion

Method:

• Mix pork, dried shrimp, shrimp sauce (or oyster sauce), light soy, sugar and half the chopped garlic and ginger together.
• Drain soaked glass noodles, cut into shorter length with scissors. Spread the noodles on a deep dish. I used a pyrex dish. Sprinkle on a little light soy or pinch of salt. 
• Cut the aubergine into fingers. Spread this on top of noodles.
• Spread the meat mixture on the aubergine. 
• Sprinkle on the rest of garlic and ginger.
• Add few tbsp of water around the dish. 
• Drizzle with a little chilli oil and sesame oil
• Steam for 20 - 25 minutes till aubergine is tender. 
• Sprinkle with some chopped spring onion.