Tomato and aubergine claypot with minced pork
Sweet-sour tomato and meltingly soft aubergine, lifted with ginger, garlic and a dash of black vinegar — full of flavour with no deep-frying.
- 35 min
- Serves 3
- Braise
- Easy
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis needs gentle warmth that keeps blood moving, and nothing icy. Aubergine is in season in summer; with ginger, garlic and black vinegar it helps move blood, tomato wakes the appetite, and microwaving instead of frying keeps it light without being cold.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min- 1Cut the aubergines into thick batons and soak in lightly salted water for 5 minutes. Squeeze dry, put on a plate and microwave on high for 4–5 minutes until soft — no deep-frying needed.
- 2Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Mix the pork with a little of the soy sauce.
- 3Heat a little oil in a claypot or wok, fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, then add the pork and stir-fry until it changes colour.
- 4Add the tomatoes and cook until juicy, then add the aubergine, vinegar, the rest of the soy sauce and the sugar. Cover and braise over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- 5Scatter with spring onion and bring the pot straight to the table with rice.
Chef's tips
- Soaking the cut aubergine in salted water stops it browning; microwaving it first means less oil and pieces that hold their shape.
The TCM view
Aubergine is sweet and cool, clears heat, moves blood and eases swelling; tomato is sweet, sour and slightly cold and eases thirst; black vinegar is sour, bitter and warm and disperses stasis; ginger and garlic are pungent and warm and warm the vessels, balancing the cool vegetables; a little brown sugar warms and moves blood. Balanced overall.
