Stir-fried aubergine, green pepper and pork on rice
Aubergine softened with a splash of water instead of deep-frying, with green pepper and pork slices — savoury with rice but never greasy.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types tend towards a bitter taste, spots and sluggish bowels, all of which flare as damp heat rises in Grain Buds. Aubergine clears heat and reduces swelling, green pepper wakes the appetite and pork keeps you going; braising instead of deep-frying keeps the oil down so it adds no damp or heat.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Mix the pork with a little soy sauce, cornflour and water and leave for 10 minutes. Soak the aubergine batons in lightly salted water for 5 minutes to stop them browning, then drain.
- 2Stir-fry the pork in a little hot oil until cooked and set aside.
- 3Add more oil, fry the garlic, then the aubergine for 2 minutes. Add the water, cover and cook for 4 minutes until soft.
- 4Add the green pepper, pork, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, toss until the sauce thickens and spoon over hot rice.
Cautions
- Aubergine is cool; go easy if your digestion runs cold or you get loose stools.
Chef's tips
- Soaking the aubergine in salted water stops it browning and means it soaks up less oil.
The TCM view
Aubergine is sweet and cool, clearing heat, cooling the blood and reducing swelling. Green pepper is pungent and warm, warming the middle and aiding digestion, which tempers the aubergine's coolness. Pork is sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin and moistening dryness. Light on oil, it clears heat without hurting the stomach.
