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Pork, Eggplant, and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry with Miso Glaze

Learn the secrets to preparing eggplant so it doesn't absorb too much oil and cooking bell peppers to preserve their crispness in this 'Pork, Eggplant, and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry' that's sure to become a household staple. Discover tips for preventing sogginess and enjoy the perfect harmony of tender eggplant and crunchy bell peppers, guaranteed to make you reach for more rice. Master the basics with this secret recipe you can use for life!

📖Cooking Basics

miso（ramen）

dry（tantanmen）

Steps

Trim the stems from 3 eggplants (270g), cut them in half lengthwise, then make shallow diagonal cuts on the skin side. Cut into bite-sized, irregular pieces.
🕒 00:20
Place the cut eggplant in a bowl, sprinkle with 1 pinch of salt and 1 pinch of sugar, mix, and let sit for at least 5 minutes to draw out moisture. [Key Tip!] Salting and mashing the eggplant removes bitterness and prevents it from absorbing too much oil, making it less greasy.
🕒 00:20
Thoroughly pat dry the moisture that has come out of the eggplant after letting it sit for 5 minutes or more using paper towels.
🕒 05:19
Push the stems of 3 bell peppers with your thumb and remove them.
🕒 02:52
Cut the stemmed bell peppers lengthwise into bite-sized, irregular pieces.
🕒 03:17
Wrap the cut bell peppers in plastic wrap and set aside until needed. [Key Tip!] Bell peppers are delicious even when raw, so we'll stir-fry them at the end to preserve their fresh texture.
🕒 03:46
Cut 150g of pork belly into bite-sized pieces.
🕒 04:05
Place the cut pork belly in a bowl and separate the pieces so they don't overlap. [Key Tip!] Using tongs will keep your hands clean.
🕒 04:26
In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp miso, 2 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine), 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp sesame oil, and 1 pinch MSG (umami seasoning). Mix well until the miso is dissolved.
🕒 04:43
Heat a frying pan over low to medium heat and add a little oil.
🕒 05:42
Once the oil is warm, add the pork belly, spread it out evenly, add 1 pinch of salt, and quickly cook until browned.
🕒 05:47
Once cooked through, transfer the pork belly to a bowl.
🕒 06:07
Reheat the frying pan over low to medium heat, add 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil, and heat thoroughly.
🕒 06:22
Once the oil is hot, add the eggplant, stir briefly to coat with oil, then place the skin-side down and cook for 2 minutes.
🕒 06:32
After 2 minutes, add the bell peppers, drizzle with a little oil, stir briefly, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. [Key Tip!] Stir-frying the bell peppers while mixing helps them stay crisp.
🕒 07:13
Push the stir-fried ingredients to the side of the pan and reduce the heat to low.
🕒 07:55
Add the miso sauce to the empty space next to the ingredients. Tilt the pan slightly and bring the sauce to a boil to thicken. [Key Tip!] Boiling the sauce first evaporates the alcohol from the mirin and prevents the bell peppers from becoming mushy.
🕒 08:04
Once the sauce is boiling, return the reserved pork belly to the pan and toss briefly to coat everything in the miso sauce.
🕒 08:30
Plate and serve. Enjoy!
🕒 08:44