Braised Aubergine with pork, 鱼香茄子

This recipe fits with the current zeitgeist, since burned cars kinda reminds us of braised aubergines. 

The view from our window last night. mmm burned rubber? Smells like eggplant grilling!

This recipe is from Yan-Kit So's "Chinese" book(let). 

Ingredients

675g or 1.5lb; we usually use 2 medium sized eggplants

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped roughly

4 spring onions cut into 2" sections, white and green parts separated

250g minced pork

1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or medium-dry sherry

1/2 tsp cornflour

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup chicken stock

Steps

1. Cut the aubergines into 2" long and 1" wide sections and put into a colander. Sprinkle salt liberally over the pieces and let them rest for an hour. Then wash the pieces and dry.
2. In a saucepan, heat a couple of table spoons of oil and, on medium heat, fry the eggplant pieces in batches, adding more oil as needed.
3. Add some more oil to the pan and add the chopped garlic and the white scallion portion. Fry for about 10 seconds.
4. Add the pork. Working quickly with your cooking spoon, separate the mince evenly so that it doesn't cook in large chunks. Stir around quickly. When the pork is cooked it will be opaque (around 4-5 minutes)
5. Splash in the rice wine and add the cornflour and stir to coat the meat.
6. Reduce the heat slightly and then add in the soy sauce, sugar and the stock. We usually add more stock, almost double. 
7. Add the eggplant back into the pan. Lower the heat and cover the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes or until, as Yan Kit-So puts it, the eggplant is "meltingly tender".
8. Garnish with the scallion green portions.